Advocates will attempt a long-shot effort to seek legislative action to protect workers in Nebraska meat-processing plants before senators go home in two weeks.
Supporters of the largely Latino, refugee and immigrant workforce gathered under a hot noon-day sun in front of the north steps of the Capitol on Tuesday to seek support for the workers who have been one of the two major targets of COVID-19 in Nebraska along with aging residents of long-term care facilities.
Worker advocates said the virus has infected 4,700 meatpacking workers in Nebraska so far and that 19 of them have died.Â
Workers labor shoulder-to-shoulder on fast-moving production lines and in some plants that have aging or faulty ventilation systems, a lineup of speakers said.Â
One worker said there is "no social distancing" where she works and the "cheap masks" that the company provides to workers disintegrate quickly as they get wet.
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Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha, whose father died in New York City after a long battle with the virus, said he will ask his colleagues to suspend the Legislature's rules, allow introduction of a bill at this late date and schedule a public hearing on the issue before they go home Aug. 13.
"Basic human decency is to protect workers now," Vargas said.
Speaker Jim Scheer of Norfolk has told Vargas that his motion will be on Wednesday's legislative agenda.
While health and safety standards in the meatpacking industry are determined by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, food-processing plants are also subject to state regulation.
"We need to protect the people who are risking their lives to get us our food," said Graham Christensen, a leader in the Nebraska Farmers Union.
Christensen called for state inspection of the meatpacking industry in Nebraska.
Susan Martin, of the Nebraska State AFL-CIO, said it is important that "these essential workers, critical workers" be able to share their stories with the public and with lawmakers.
A number of speakers noted that the Legislature takes necessary precautions to protect senators in the legislative chamber with shields and physical distancing and urged that necessary protective precautions be extended to workers in meat-processing plants where conditions are far more challenging.
Those are essential workers and should be adequately protected, speakers said.
Participants at the rally brought a variety of signs, including "Immigrant workers are essential, not expendable," "We are all connected," and "Senators: Where are you?"
Vargas, who represents a legislative district in south Omaha with a large Latino population and meatpacking plants, said workers "feel silenced and they feel scared, (and) basic human decency is to protect those workers now."
Last month, Vargas and 21 of his colleagues wrote Gov. Pete Ricketts asking him to "specifically define and mandate a policy to protect Nebraskans working in meatpacking and poultry plants across the state."