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Law360 (April 20, 2020, 4:33 PM EDT ) JBS USA Holdings Inc. has agreed to give meatpacking and food processing workers an extra $4 per hour and step up safety measures, according to a worker's union, a move that comes as the company has shuttered some plants due to the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, that wage increase started on Monday and will last through the month of May. The additional pay and protections will be provided to workers in JBS' facilities in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin, the union said in a statement Sunday.
On top of providing personal protective equipment like gloves, masks and face shields, the company will also put plexiglass shields in places in its plants where social distancing is impossible. There will also be enhanced cleaning of the common areas, and workers will be better able to social distance in expanded break rooms and cafeterias, the union said.
"We hope JBS's leadership sends a message to all other companies — union and non-union," UFCW International President Marc Perrone said in the release. "Now, more than ever, it is critical that not only is our food supply protected, but that food processing and meatpacking workers are protected as they perform such an essential role during this health crisis."
On Monday, JBS announced that it is indefinitely closing a facility in Worthington, Minnesota, that has 2,000 workers and processes 20,000 hogs each day. The company will continue to pay the employees during the closure, according to the company's statement.
The company also said that it is "focused on providing the safest working environment possible for its team members who are providing food for America during these unprecedented times."
JBS has implemented several preventative measures, including temperature checks, staggered schedules and relaxed attendance policies, the statement noted.
Bob Krebs, the president of JBS USA Pork, said in the statement that the decision wasn't made lightly.
"As we all learn more about coronavirus, it is clear that the disease is far more widespread across the U.S. and in our county than official estimates indicate based on limited testing," Krebs said. "We have taken aggressive actions to keep coronavirus out of our plant and keep this critical infrastructure facility operational."
Earlier in April, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment directed JBS to close a facility in Weld County, Colorado, that produces beef, according to reporting from Colorado Public Radio.
At the time, the agencies were aware of 43 confirmed COVID-19 cases reported by JBS workers and two related deaths. According to the company's press release about the closure, JBS is the largest employer in the county with more than 6,000 workers.
JBS USA Holdings is the North American arm of JBS SA, which is the world's leading protein processor, according to JBS' website. JBS SA has more than 240,000 workers across the globe and export customers in 150 countries, the site said.
--Editing by Jack Karp.
For a reprint of this article, please contact reprints@law360.com.
