Meatpacking workers are frequently not showing up to work due to health concerns amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, unions say. Mark Lauritsen, a vice president at the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), said 30-50% of meatpacking workers nationwide were absent last week.

BJ Motley, president of the UFCW local, told Reuters about 1,200 employees were absent from the Smithfield pork plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as of June 1, one-third of the plant’s workforce. The facility saw more than 850 infections earlier this year, forcing the plant to close from April 15 to May 7.

On April 28, President Trump issued an executive order to keep meatpacking facilities open, in order to keep the U.S. food supply chain intact.

“It is important that processors of beef, pork, and poultry (“meat and poultry”) in the food supply chain continue operating and fulfilling orders to ensure a continued supply of protein for Americans,” the order read.

The federal government has issued safety guidelines for plants amid the outbreak, but these are not mandatory or enforceable.

"They have decided not to issue any specific requirements for employers to keep workers 6 feet apart, to keep workers in masks," Debbie Berkowitz, a former chief of staff at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) told Minnesota Public Radio News. "The guidance is voluntary. Employers can comply with it, or they can ignore it."

As cases spike in states such as Texas, Arizona and Florida, workers in various industries across the country could still be at risk from coronavirus infection.

As of Monday at 4:55 p.m. ET, there are 2,105,482 cases of the coronavirus in the United States and 116,029 deaths.

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