Posts Categorized: Poultry

The UFCW and the North American Meat Institute (NAMI), the association representing meat producers, recently joined forces to urge all 50 U.S. governors to prioritize COVID-19 vaccinations for frontline meat and poultry workers across the U.S. in accordance with official Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

In a joint letter to governors, the UFCW and NAMI emphasized that quickly vaccinating the sector’s diverse workforce of some 500,000 employees across the country will maximize health benefits, especially in rural communities that often have limited health services, while keeping Americans’ refrigerators full and our farm economy working. 

COVID-19 vaccinations can, in many cases, be administered through meat and poultry facilities’ existing health programs and staff. The UFCW and NAMI have committed to assist employees with information and access to off-site vaccination, if needed, and to support vaccine information and education efforts.

“America’s meatpacking workers are bravely serving on the frontlines so that millions of families can put food on the table during this crisis,” said UFCW International Vice President and Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division Director Mark Lauritsen. “To keep our nation’s food supply secure as the pandemic worsens, we need strong action now from our elected leaders to protect these essential workers in meatpacking plants. As the largest union for America’s meatpacking workers, the UFCW is joining industry leaders today in a unified call for governors in all 50 states to immediately prioritize meatpacking workers for access to the COVID vaccine. American lives are at stake and these courageous men and women on the frontlines cannot wait any longer.”

“Health authorities around the world, employers, unions, and civil rights groups all agree – high priority access to vaccines is critical for the long-term safety of essential frontline meat and poultry workers who have kept Americans’ refrigerators full and our farm economy working throughout this crisis,” said NAMI President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. 

You can read the entire letter to governors here.

Keeping UFCW members safe in meatpacking plants is a top priority as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. On Nov. 12, the UFCW announced its opposition to the latest attempt by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase line speeds in poultry plants, which would endanger workers in these plants who are already on the frontlines of the pandemic.

The USDA regulates poultry line speed in plants across the United States for both worker safety and to allow for food inspection. Current line speeds are set at about 140 birds per minute and the proposed regulation allows plants to operate at up to 175 birds per minute. 

In 2017, the USDA considered a petition from the National Chicken Council to eliminate line speed limits. That effort was ultimately rejected after an outpouring of opposition from workers and consumers. Since then, the USDA has continued to approve record numbers of waivers to allow individual plants to operate at dangerously fast speeds, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

“This new push by the USDA to increase poultry line speeds makes clear that this White House cares more about corporate profits than the safety of workers,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement. “America’s meatpacking workers are still on the frontlines of the pandemic putting themselves in harm’s way to keep our country’s food supply chain secure, even as COVID-19 cases skyrocket across the country. Slower line speeds protect workers from injuries and ensure safe social distancing to stop the spread of the virus. With poultry line speeds already moving at a breathtaking pace, any effort to increase these speeds is a direct threat to worker safety.”

“As the union for America’s meatpacking workers, the UFCW is calling on the Trump Administration to immediately stop this increase to poultry production speeds,” Perrone added. “In the months ahead, the UFCW will urge President-elect Joe Biden to reverse the Trump Administration’s dangerous policies and do all he can to protect America’s meatpacking workers still on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The UFCW has been a leading national voice for strengthening safeguards in meatpacking and poultry plants, which have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The UFCW and Public Citizen recently filed a lawsuit to prevent further line speed waivers in the poultry industry. The UFCW also supports “The Safe Line Speeds in COVID-19 Act,” which was introduced by Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Representative Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) to ensure that the USDA protects worker safety by maintaining safe line speeds.