Lawsuit says Missouri meatpacking plant contributes to COVID-19 spread. Where’s the AG?
A federal lawsuit filed last week on behalf of employees at a Smithfield Foods meat processing plant in Missouri contends that the company failed to protect workers from the coronavirus.
Employees at the plant in the small northern Missouri town of Milan were denied restroom breaks and were subjected to unsanitary work conditions, the lawsuit alleges. Allegations that sick employees were encouraged to work in order to receive bonuses were particularly alarming.
The civil complaint alleging that the plant has contributed to the spread of COVID-19 was filed by an anonymous worker and the advocacy group Rural Community Workers Alliance.
Smithfield Foods, a Chinese-owned company and one of the country’s biggest meat producers, has already shut down five plants nationwide due to coronavirus concerns, including its Martin City operation.
On Monday, a federal judge ordered Smithfield to comply with public health guidelines. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Keira Lombardo, the company’s executive vice president for corporate affairs and compliance, told The New York Times that the company does not comment on pending litigation but that the suit is without merit.
David Muraskin of Public Justice, one of the advocacy groups representing Smithfield workers in the lawsuit, said employees in Milan did everything they could to bring attention to the conditions at the plant. “This is a well-documented issue, but no one came to their aid.”
So where has Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt been? Schmitt is tasked with enforcing the state’s consumer protection and food safety laws.
A spokesman for Schmitt declined to comment.
Schmitt should be investigating unsafe and unsanitary working conditions at meat processing plants throughout the state.
Across the country, more and more meat processing plants are halting operations as thousands of workers test positive for COVID-19. Workers at the Smithfield facility in Milan and in other plants have complained about a lack of protective equipment, working conditions that don’t allow for social distancing and disincentives to taking sick leave — all combining to make simply showing up for work a dangerous proposition.
Past attorney generals in the state have taken on dairy farmers and other meatpacking plants. And Schmitt has the power to stop public nuisances, an allegation made in the Smithfiled lawsuit.
Schmitt, a Republican appointee tapped in 2018 to replace now-U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, should focus on protecting workers and consumers during this perilous time when lives are on the line.
Workers at a Cargill Foods facility in Marshall, Missouri, recently tested positive for the virus. The plant in Saline County employs nearly 620 people and remains open.
Instead, Schmitt has made political grandstanding his priority during this pandemic, spending taxpayers’ dollars on a pointless lawsuit against China. The attorney general accused the communist government of misleading the public in response to the coronavirus.
Apparently the lawsuit had the desired effect — generating publicity — as Schmitt then made the rounds with Republican-friendly new outlets, including an appearance on Tucker Carlson’s prime time show on Fox News.
Schmitt has a duty to protect all Missourians, including both consumers and workers who say they are contending with unsafe conditions. If the allegations about the Smithfield plant in Milan are true, the corporation must be held accountable.
While blaming China is an easy way to generate headlines, the attorney general is neglecting important responsibilities in his home state.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 5:00 AM.