From Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President <[email protected]>
Subject LULAC National President Meets With Smithfield Foods CEO On Fact Finding Mission
Date August 11, 2020 12:48 PM
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A message from League of United Latin American Citizens

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LULAC: SMITHFIELD FOODS PLANT INSPECTION REVIEW
===============================================


Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Issues Findings on
Company’s Steps to Protect Latino Workers

Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today
issued its report on the meatpacking giant Smithfield Foods after a recent visit
and unrestricted tour inside the company’s facilities and stated it sees
improvements by the food producer to ensure the safety of Latino and other
employees from COVID-19.

“Smithfield Foods has spent substantial funds to upgrade the safety conditions of
Smithfield workers in this pandemic and we are hoping to see the number of COVID
cases continue to go down at their plants,” says Domingo Garcia, National
President. “LULAC is the only civil rights organization that has entered and
reviewed firsthand the company’s practices which I would describe as a good
transparency policy in improving employee safety. Our organization is committed
to working with Smithfield and its employees in this fight against COVID-19.
Having free on-site testing for all employees was a first we have seen in any of
the meat plants we have visited so far”.

Several weeks ago, LULAC presented Smithfield Foods with a very specific list of
demands in changes that workers told us they needed including being provided more
personal protection equipment (PPE), installing partitions in the production
areas and slowing down the line to reduce the risks within an industry hard hit
by COVID-19. They also wanted more testing and assurances that employees who
could not work because they were sick would not lose their pay or be fired. I can
tell you from what I have seen that Smithfield Foods met most of the demands, so
progress has been made in what is still very much an on-going process. Monitoring
will continue as we go into the winter months.

LULAC requested and received unrestricted access to the Smithfield Foods plant
without preconditions while agreeing to follow the company’s safe distancing
policies. Garcia and LULAC leadership toured the plant with CEO Kenneth Sullivan
and shared concerns about the safety and well-being of essential workers at
Smithfield Foods and across the industry. Sullivan informed LULAC that the
company’s primary focus has been worker safety and that they put aside all
production quotas and key performance indicators. Smithfield Foods has also
implemented ionized filtration systems at 18 of its plants and is continuing to
make investments to update its infrastructure with new tools and technology to
ensure a safe working environment. LULAC will work with workers and management to
make sure progress is maintained and that worker safety comes first.

“Taking action, going in where others may not, and doing what others only talk
about, is the legacy of LULAC. We will continue to fight and defend meatpacking
workers because they are national heroes who are keeping our economy going and
making sure our food supply is steady. Their safety and health should be a top
priority,” says Sindy Benavides, National Chief Executive Officer.

“Smithfield has the duty and the opportunity through its continued investment in
worker safety, to be a bellwether for the industry. Their investment in free
onsite testing and paid sick leave for all of its employees set Smithfield Foods
apart from other meatpacking companies. We encourage every company in the
industry to follow suit and implement free onsite testing for all its employees
as well as paid sick leave without a limit on total time off,” she added.

# # #

About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and
oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans
and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000
councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and
advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of
today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org [ [link removed] ] .







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