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Teamsters Demand Stronger Protections as States Reopen
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 June 25, 2020 | SAFETY & HEALTH | As states begin the tumultuous process of “reopening” their economies, the workers who have been picking, processing, and packing the nation’s food supply won’t miss a beat. For them, the economy was never really on pause; many have been working even harder and for longer hours, as consumers under stay-at-home orders snatch up produce and pantry ingredients at the supermarket. But as commercial activity ramps up and pressure on the food system intensifies, the Teamsters have issued a call to action, demanding decent safety conditions, medical support for COVID-19 testing and tracing, and stronger labor protections in the food processing and dairy facilities that the union represents. Although unionized workers in the food supply chain generally enjoy better working conditions than their non-union counterparts, a survey of members in the Teamsters’ Food Processing and Dairy Divisions revealed that, as of late May, workplaces were facing both widespread infection and a lack of adequate testing to monitor transmission … Dissent
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