Worker safety at U.S. meatpacking plants is again at the forefront, with a bill in Congress that would permanently increase line speeds for processing pork and poultry.
Missouri supports more than 140 animal processing firms employing over 17,000 people across the state. Supporters of the bill say companies need certainty, and they predict the change would boost global competitiveness.
However, United Food and Commercial Workers' Union President Martin Rosas, who represents meatpacking workers in Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, said faster line speeds put workers at risk – as well as consumers.
"If the employer doesn't take into consideration that the employees don't have sufficient time to train and review the product before it's put onto consumers' tables," said Rosas, "that alone can be problematic for everyone."
Rosas pointed to contamination risks like E. coli, and said faster lines mean less time for inspection, and warned that with fewer U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors, plants often police themselves.
Rosas pointed out that the timing is especially troubling given labor shortages.
Industry groups backing the bill contend the measure would take line speed decisions out of USDA’s hands, after years of back-and-forth under different administrations.
But Rosas insisted the bill isn't about safety.
"It's all for profit. They're putting profit ahead of food safety," said Rosas. "The faster line speed, the more product they can put throughout the plants. Not unusual, but it has happened in the past."
Rosas said his union and others have fought similar efforts in court before, winning a 2021 lawsuit that overturned a federal plan to increase line speed limits.
He said they plan to fight it again, but warns this time could be different, since Congress is trying to write the changes directly into law.
The Missouri Public News Service originally published this story.
