PERRY, Iowa — A Hispanic American rights organization is calling on Iowa meat processing plants to make their conditions safer for employees during the pandemic, or shut down altogether.
Joe Henry, a representative for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) says that around three out of every four workers at meat processing plants are Latino, and they're disproportionately affected during the pandemic due to unsafe conditions at plants like Tyson Foods, Smithfield Foods, and JBS.
"Workers are being given the face masks, but they can't keep them on because they are breathing deeply while they are working," said Henry, the adviser to the national LULAC president on civic engagement and elections.
"Can you imagine jogging for eight hours with a face mask on? It's not going to happen."
Henry says for years, LULAC has monitored the conditions of meat processing plants which they claim have violated federal OSHA guidelines. And as more plant workers become infected with COVID-19, he says it's especially harmful.
"Workers need to be separated feet [apart] instead of inches. They need to have a slower pace of works. They need to have more time for restroom breaks, especially the women," said Henry.
Saturday, a representative for Tyson Foods confirmed with Local 5 that employees at the plant in Perry had tested positive for COVID-19 but did not disclose how many. Henry says that's "unfortunate" that the company won't disclose the number of employees infected.
Henry said LULAC has been in communication with several workers at Tyson food plants who are scared for their families, because they have not been told which departments the employees who tested positive work in.
"We cannot allow the blood of Latinos and immigrants to be used to process this food," said Henry.
Local 5 reached out to Tyson Foods with the safety concerns that LULAC reported. We are awaiting a response.