worker safety News

Pandemic Job Actions May Push Renewed Labor Movement

Jordan Flowers never thought he would become a labor leader. Then the coronavirus forced him to risk his life every time he clocked in. The robotics operator at Amazon’s Staten Island warehouse helped lead one of the first walkouts at …

JBS Reopens Pork Plant to Put Down Pigs, Dispose Of Carcasses, Not Produce Meat

CHICAGO, April 29 — Meat producer JBS said on Wednesday it was reopening a Minnesota pork plant shuttered by the pandemic to euthanize up to 13,000 pigs a day for farmers, not to produce meat for consumers. U.S. farmers have …

Amazon Exec Called Fired Worker ‘Not Smart’ in Leaked Memo

A senior Amazon.com Inc. executive called a fired Staten Island warehouse worker “not smart or articulate” in internal discussions about how the company should respond to employee criticism of its handling of the pandemic, according to a person familiar with …

Amazon Hires 80,000, Adds Safety Precautions at Warehouses

Amazon.com Inc. said it has hired 80,000 people to help meet demand for online orders from people hunkered down during the pandemic and has stepped up safety precautions at its U.S warehouses. Dave Clark, Amazon’s logistics chief, said in a …

An Uproar Among Workers Who Supply the World’s Meat Is Spreading

A growing number of workers who are crucial to supplying the world with meat are demanding that their companies do more to keep them safe from the coronavirus. Labor unions are starting to speak out as their members fall ill. …

Study: Little Asbestos Found After Detroit House Demolitions

Cost-savings and public safety benefits by swiftly demolishing dangerous vacant houses in Detroit could outweigh the risk of asbestos exposure to people in neighborhoods, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. A study of 25 emergency demolitions found small …

Tyson Bets on Robots to Fight Meat Industry Worker Shortage

When you visit a meat plant, humans are completing tasks like stacking pallets and packing chicken drumsticks. But Tyson Foods Inc. thinks robots can do it all. The U.S. meat giant is betting that automation and robotics can alleviate a …

Samsung, Workers to End Standoff on Workers’ Deaths

Samsung Electronics and a group representing ailing Samsung computer chip and display factory workers said Tuesday they have agreed to end a years-long standoff over compensation for deaths and grave illnesses among Samsung workers. Samsung and Banolim said they will …

Bangladesh Works Hard to Meet U.S. Factory Safety Conditions

Bangladesh said it has met the conditions put forward by the United States for better safety and workers’ rights in its factories that were essential to regain preferential trade status the impoverished South Asian nation lost in 2013 after two …

Wyoming Lawmakers Consider $50K Fatal Accident Fines

Wyoming state legislators are discussing whether to require a $50,000 fine for any company where a safety violation causes the death of one of its workers. The draft legislation heads before the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee in …