Posts Categorized: Legislation and Politics

On Feb. 3, the UFCW announced its support for the reintroduction of the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act.

This legislation, introduced by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Representative Ro Khanna (Calif.-17), would provide essential protections to meatpacking workers across the country by strengthening worker safety provisions, increasing transparency, and supporting American jobs in an industry that continues to feel strains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Meatpacking and food processing workers risked their health and safety as essential workers every single day during the height of the pandemic to ensure American families had food on the table,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement. “While our union was able to fight for and secure many protections for our members, every single worker in this industry deserves the essential protections that meat and poultry processing companies are still failing to provide.”

“The UFCW stands firmly with Senator Booker and Representative Khanna as they reintroduce the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act,” Perrone added. “This critically important legislation will be instrumental in protecting workers, holding the industry accountable, and making our food system more resilient. Americans should be able to trust that the food they put on the table comes from American workers who are protected on the job.”

The UFCW applauds the recent passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, a historic win that enshrines the right of pregnant and postpartum workers to reasonable accommodations in their workplaces. The law will go into effect on June 27, 2023.

Until now, there were no legal protections for workers who needed workplace accommodations for pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Therefore, many women were forced out of the workforce, putting them and their families in a financially perilous position.

The new law covers federal and private employers with more than 15 employees and the workers can be in full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal positions. Employers must have good faith discussions regarding what accommodations the worker needs and cannot retaliate against them by firing or reducing their hours.

Reasonable accommodations may include:
• Light duty
• Additional and/or more flexible breaks
• Private space for lactations needs
• Allowing water at the workstation
• Scheduling flexibility to attend medical appointments

You can learn more about the rights workers have under the law here.