workers News

Covid Hit at Least 59,000 Meat Workers in Pandemic’s First Year, Report Says

At least 59,000 meatpacking workers contracted the coronavirus in the first year of the pandemic as the virus rapidly spread in plants’ cramped conditions, according to internal documents from five major meat conglomerates obtained by a U.S. House subcommittee investigating …

Settlement Reached in Suit Against Ultra-Rich Montana Club

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Dozens of Jamaican citizens recruited to work as cooks, servers and housekeepers at a Montana ski resort for the ultra-rich have reached a $1 million class action settlement over allegations they were discriminated against and paid …

Worker Group Alleges Unsafe Practices at Marathon Minnesota Refinery

Inadequate safety standards at Marathon Petroleum’s St. Paul Park refinery in Minnesota have caused avoidable hydrocarbon and chemical releases that pose a threat to the community, a local worker advocacy group said in a report on Sunday, as a lockout …

Virus Talks Drag on Liability as Congress Preps Stopgap Aid

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers are giving themselves more time to sort through their end-of-session business on government spending and COVID-19 relief, preparing a one-week stopgap spending bill that would prevent a shutdown this weekend. House floor leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said …

Workers Hit McDonald’s With Class Action Over COVID-19 Safety

Five McDonald’s workers in Chicago filed a class action lawsuit against the chain on Tuesday, accusing it of failing to adopt government safety guidance on COVID-19 and endangering employees and their families. McDonald’s failed to provide adequate hand sanitizer, gloves …

U.S. Labor Secretary Defends Workplace Safety Record During Pandemic

U.S. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia on Thursday defended his department’s handling of workplace safety during the coronavirus pandemic, saying “the cop is on the beat” in response to union criticism about a lack of directives to protect workers. In a …

Stopping Virus a Huge Challenge at Crowded Meat Plants

OMAHA, Neb. — Daily reports of giant meat-processing plants closing because workers tested positive for the coronavirus have called into question whether slaughterhouses can remain virus-free. According to experts, the answer may be no. Given that the plants employ thousands …

Threat of Sick Workers at U.S. Meat Plants Forces Policy Changes

In shelter-in-place America, people have been filling their freezers full of meat just in case. Meanwhile, at the plants where the meat is packed, the big question is: What happens if the workers start getting sick? The potential for a …

World Bank: Robots Aren’t Killing Off All Our Jobs Yet

The rise of automation has so far had a negligible impact on jobs at a global scale, the World Bank chief economist said, despite common gloomy predictions that humans are set to be replaced by machines. While advanced economies have …

9 Dead in Gas Explosion at Chinese Coal Mine

A gas explosion at a mine in central China has killed nine workers. The accident happened Saturday afternoon at a mine in Hunan province’s Sandu township. A Hunan work safety official says all nine workers underground at the time were …