"The administration is “throwing blue-collar workers under the bus” to protect meat-processing giants, labor advocates say."
"As more than 10,000 workers in meat-processing plants have fallen sick with the coronavirus and at least 30 have died, corporate food giants facing liability lawsuits are turning to a powerful ally: the White House.
On April 30, two days after President Donald Trump ordered meatpacking facilities to stay open amid the pandemic, a lawyer defending Smithfield Foods told a judge that the company expected federal regulators to come to its defense.
The country’s largest pork processor had been accused of failing to protect workers at its Milan, Missouri, plant. At a preliminary hearing in Kansas City, Missouri, Smithfield lawyer Alexandra Cunningham said the Department of Labor would provide “support to employers” and “come in and talk about” the company’s compliance with federal standards."
Alexander C. Kaufman reports for HuffPost May 15, 2020.
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