As Thanksgiving Approaches, Booker, Khanna Announce Legislation to Protect Meatpacking Workers

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17) announced the Protecting America's Meatpacking Workers Act which would provide stronger workplace protections for meat and poultry processing workers.

Our nation's food system has long been broken, but the COVID-19 pandemic has shined a light on just how broken the system truly is for workers, farmers and ranchers, animals, and consumers. Unfortunately, the workers responsible for getting food from the farm to our table are often overlooked and underappreciated. It is clear that our food system is not safe for most farm and food chain workers including meatpacking workers that, due to the power and influence of large multinational corporations, have been forced to risk their lives, crowded into meatpacking plants that became hotbeds for COVID-19 outbreaks. In fact, recent reports indicate that over 59,000 meatpacking workers employed by JBS, Tyson, Smithfield, Cargill, and National Beef contracted COVID-19, and at least 269 died.

The Protecting America's Meatpacking Workers Act would provide much needed protections for meatpacking workers along with systemic reforms such as creating a fair market that allows independent farmers, ranchers and robust local food systems to thrive and ensuring that consumers can actually identify where their food comes from so that food giants cannot simply shift the burden of their unfair system to others in the supply chain or import more unsustainable meat from other parts of the world.

"As we sit down with family and friends this Thanksgiving, let it also be a day of gratitude for the workers who have worked tirelessly to ensure we have food on our tables," said Senator Booker. "Unfortunately, meatpacking workers, including those processing the turkeys on the plates of many Americans this week, often face exploitative and dangerous work conditions. We must end this era of abusive practices and begin to ensure that all workers, farmers, and ranchers have a safe and fair opportunity to earn a living. The Protecting America's Meatpacking Workers Act would provide essential protections to meatpacking workers and is a critical piece in transforming our food system to one that is rooted in resilience, fairness, and justice."

"The COVID-19 pandemic publicly exposed the dangerous conditions that meatpackers employed by large multinational corporations face, but this has been a problem for a long time," said Rep. Ro Khanna. "I'm glad to join Senator Booker to establish enhanced protections and safety standards at these mega meatpacking plants. It's time to prioritize people over profits and implement real reforms that will keep workers safe."

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