UFCW Locals call on U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith to support bill protecting meatpacking workers
UFCW Locals call on U.S. Senators Klobuchar, Smith to support bill protecting meatpacking workers
AG Week
Noah Fish
April 4
Excerpt:
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 1189, 1155 and 663 recently called on U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith to co-sponsor The Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act.
In a statement submitted to Agweek, U.S. Senator Tina Smith said that she "appreciated" the call to action by the UFCW Locals.
"Meatpacking is an essential industry, it’s critical to the economy, provides millions of jobs, and feeds Americans from coast to coast. These workers were on the front lines during the pandemic, working to meet demand under uncertain circumstances. Union advocacy is crucial and UFCW leadership led to critical safety measures being put in place during the pandemic," said Smith. "Ensuring a safe workplace is equally important for this industry moving forward. We have worked with UFCW to push OSHA before and understand that safety must be a priority. Senator Booker’s work on this bill is important and we are currently reviewing this proposal to evaluate it further and all opportunities to advance workplace safety, especially in a farm bill year.”