As the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March 2020, several meat-processing plants quickly closed in response to outbreaks. Across the country, new cases emerged throughout the spring and summer, and again in winter, fueled by negligence and misconduct that news outlets, watchdog groups, and congressional committees have uncovered throughout the past year.
According to health experts, meat and poultry workers, who work in harsh conditions, have been at unique risk for contracting Covid-19: In processing plants, workers handle meat at a fast pace, forcing them to stand close together in loud environments. The majority of workers are Black, Latino, and/or immigrants — groups that have disproportionately suffered during the pandemic.
Reports found that company officials avoided and delayed introducing mitigation measures that could have saved lives, and even evinced a startling lack of concern for their employees’ lives.
- ProPublica obtained documents that showed meatpacking companies spent early weeks delaying the implementation of mitigation tactics such as social distancing and mask-wearing. The lack of proactive measures enabled early coronavirus spread. Even after outbreaks occurred, some meatpacking officials refused to take responsibility, blaming a “culture issue” on the part of the workers,
- Allegations surfaced that supervisors at a Tyson Foods plant in Iowa had placed bets on how many workers would get infected with the coronavirus. While managers took measures to protect themselves, by May more than 1,000 employees in the plant had tested positive for Covid-19.
Despite the risks, on April 28, then-President Donald Trump signed an executive order labeling meat-processing plants “critical infrastructure,” which allowed plants to remain open during the pandemic.
- American Oversight obtained documents that showed that one week prior to Trump’s executive order, meat industry representatives had provided the administration with a very similar draft order. Reported on by USA Today, the documents also included communications in which USDA officials gave plants the go-ahead to reopen after major outbreaks.
- In one exchange in April, the CEO of Smithfield Foods told then-CDC Director Robert Redfield that the meat industry needed help. At the time, public reporting indicated that the U.S. was exporting a record amount of pork to China.
- The documents also showed that in April, the National Chicken Council asked USDA to issue waivers to allow for an increase in the speed of chicken-eviscerator lines, which are already dangerous. Several plants received waivers, even though there were concerns that faster line speeds would lead to more accidents and exacerbate the spread of Covid-19.
While workers suffered under policies that served to increase profits, not safety, the virus spread. As of March 2021, more than 80,000 meat and food processing workers had tested positive for Covid-19.
- In an oversight report, the House Committee on Education and Labor discussed how the Trump administration pushed CDC officials to water down important Covid-19 recommendations for a Smithfield meatpacking plant that was in the midst of a major outbreak.
- The New York Times reported that lax Occupational Safety and Health Administration oversight put workers at serious risk. To date, OSHA has announced more than $1 million in coronavirus-related penalties for dozens of health care facilities and nursing homes, but it has fined only two meatpacking plants: JBS and Smithfield. The multibillion-dollar companies faced small penalties that totaled less than $30,000.
- In November, eight Iowa labor and civil rights groups filed a federal complaint against Iowa OSHA, alleging that it had failed to implement worker-protection measures or to investigate worker complaints during the pandemic.
- In February 2021, the Department of Labor Inspector General recommended that OSHA issue enforceable Covid-specific safety rules, following a recommendation made by members of Congress in the fall that OSHA should issue an Emergency Temporary Standard that would require employers to develop an explicit, enforceable plan to protect workers during the pandemic.
In February 2021, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis launched an investigation into coronavirus outbreaks at meatpacking plants nationwide. For more information about oversight of Covid-19 spread among vulnerable populations, visit our Oversight Tracker.