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POULTRY & PANDEMIC: Meat industry workers and COVID-19

By Chris Kromm

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Articles

  • Human Rights
  • Politics

Emails show Tyson's sway over Arkansas mayor during COVID surge in plants

By Olivia Paschal
February 5, 2021 - Documents obtained by Facing South show the meatpacking giant's director of state and local government affairs smearing a local worker safety advocate, and how the company worked with local government officials to control the narrative about COVID-19 outbreaks in their plants.
  • Human Rights
  • Politics

How the Biden administration can protect frontline food system workers

By Olivia Paschal
January 28, 2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic has not ended in the nation's meat and poultry processing facilities. Here's what organizers and advocates say the new administration can do to help keep workers and their communities safe.
  • Human Rights

Los trabajadores de pollería en George's hacen huelga en Arkansas para protestar las condiciones del COVID-19

By Rachell Sanchez-Smith Olivia Paschal
December 10, 2020 - Empleados de George's, Inc. en Springdale, Arkansas dicen que la compañía necesita re-implementar turnos escalonados y hacer posible el distanciamiento social en la planta de transporte vivo de la compañía.
  • Human Rights

George's poultry workers walk out in Arkansas to protest COVID-19 conditions

By Olivia Paschal Rachell Sanchez-Smith
December 9, 2020 - Employees of a Springdale, Arkansas, processing plant owned by George's, one of the top U.S. chicken producers, are pressing the company to re-implement staggered shifts and make social distancing possible. The walkout, which the workers plan to continue until their demands are met, was the first such action by poultry workers in the state, which leads the nation in poultry production.
  • Human Rights
  • Economy

George's and other midsize poultry companies struggled to control COVID-19

By Olivia Paschal Rachell Sanchez-Smith
November 19, 2020 - Large poultry processors like Tyson have come under public fire for failing to protect their workers from COVID-19. But smaller poultry companies have had the same problems — and much less scrutiny.
  • Human Rights
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Demographics

As COVID-19 hit Georgia meatpacking counties, officials and industry shifted blame

By Sandy Smith-Nonini Olivia Paschal
September 8, 2020 - For months the official line has been that spread happens in the community, not in the plant. The numbers tell a different story.
  • Human Rights
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Demographics

COVID-19 pounded Arkansas poultry workers as government and industry looked on

By Olivia Paschal
August 20, 2020 - Emails obtained by Facing South reveal that as workers and community advocates begged for the closure of poultry plants with outbreaks, government and company officials worked closely to present a united front — and keep them open.
  • Human Rights
  • Economy

Poultry worker advocates allege civil rights violations by major corporations

By Olivia Paschal
July 13, 2020 - A coalition of food system justice groups joined forces to file an administrative complaint accusing Tyson and JBS of violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by failing to adequately protect their predominantly Black and brown workforces from COVID-19.
  • Human Rights
  • Economy

Families of Tyson workers with COVID-19 condemn company's labor practices

By Olivia Paschal
June 24, 2020 - As novel coronavirus cases rise in poultry plants near the meat-processing giant's headquarters in Northwest Arkansas, family members of workers say the company takes better care of their chickens than they do their employees.
  • Human Rights
  • Economy

Protesters demand closure of Arkansas' COVID-19-affected poultry plants

By Olivia Paschal
June 1, 2020 - Poultry plants in Northwest Arkansas are seeing a surge in cases of the novel coronavirus. Worker advocates are demanding they be shut down, despite President Trump's executive order that they remain open.
  • Human Rights
  • Economy

Workers say Arkansas' poultry giants aren't protecting them from COVID-19

By Olivia Paschal Rolando Zenteno
April 28, 2020 - As President Trump pledges action to shield meatpacking companies from liability for sickened workers, employees of two major poultry-processing companies in Arkansas say Tyson and George's aren't doing enough to keep them safe in the pandemic.
Chris Kromm

Chris Kromm

@chriskromm

Chris Kromm is executive director of the Institute for Southern Studies and publisher of the Institute's online magazine, Facing South.

Email Chris

Related Articles

What the walkout by George's poultry workers accomplished

February 17, 2021

Los trabajadores de pollería en George's hacen huelga en Arkansas para protestar las condiciones del COVID-19

December 10, 2020

As COVID-19 hit Georgia meatpacking counties, officials and industry shifted blame

September 8, 2020

Poultry worker advocates allege civil rights violations by major corporations

July 13, 2020
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