'This is not a playing matter': Perdue plant employees walk out over COVID-19 concerns

[babylonsister]

'This is not a playing matter': Perdue plant employees walk out over COVID-19 concerns
Close to 50 employees who walked out Monday morning say some workers on the production line were in contact with people who tested positive for COVID-19
Author: Sarah Hammond
Published: 10:45 PM EDT March 23, 2020
Updated: 9:22 AM EDT March 24, 2020


KATHLEEN, Ga. — The Perdue plant in Kathleen was a little emptier Monday after about 50 employees walked out.

They said they don't feel safe working around people who have potentially been exposed to coronavirus and want the plant to do more to protect their employees.

"We're not getting nothing -- no type of compensation, no nothing, not even no cleanliness, no extra pay -- no nothing. We're up here risking our life for chicken," said employee Kendaliyn Granville.

She said people still working on the production line said they have been exposed to coronavirus.

Granville said her supervisors are telling them they are sanitizing the building every night, but when she comes in every morning, there is food on the floor from the night before and the bathrooms are still dirty.

"All we're asking now is just to sanitize the building. Sanitize the building. Everybody that's been exposed to it, they need to go home. These folks are still on the floor."

more...

https://www.13wmaz.com/article/news/local/perdue-employees-walk-out-as-coronavirus-concerns-grow/93-7c7bdcbb-f3ec-439b-b541-9070e758b5cb?fbclid=IwAR2bR1pzP-pZuM_d2MIwmvpxKfHsmDfwzc6jd2QUcTsp8f_34pMSkJlXO-I

[spanone]

1. Jeebus....

[Bluethroughu]

2. About fucking time!

These workers are under paid, over worked, and have had enough!

Workers of America, UNITE!

[DanieRains]

26. Food Shortages in 3, 2, 1.....

On their way.

[Bluethroughu]

47. We won't have food shortages because

The business has to abide by clean and safe conditions.
That is protection for the workers and anyone eating chicken from that plant.

Hey, how about throwing a bonus to the people making food on our tables happen, during a plague.

Geezz

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Dressed Chicken is one of the worst

for attracting any type of Virus Spores.

[Permanut]

6. Excellent Petri dish. n/t

[Wellstone ruled]

10. Perfect.

This one of the plants that Stevie Miller sent in the ICE Agents to arrest most of the Workers last Spring.

[oldsoftie]

14. This plant wasnt one that was raided. nt

[Wellstone ruled]

17. Okay.

[Wellstone ruled]

20. That was another

operation with three plants that did Jobbing for the Majors. Their specialty was cutting for Food Service.

[2naSalit]

25. Probably wasn't raided because look at the company name...

Owner is a Sonny Perdue, you know, the Sec. of Agriculture.

[oldsoftie]

41. No, he's not related to the Perdue chicken people at all

[2naSalit]

42. Okay, then it's the Senator then.

One of them is in the DC crowd. Either way, there has been no federal intervention due to ownership and their being "nice" to the magat45.

[oldsoftie]

43. The Sec of Ag & the Senator are cousins. Both crooks, but not related to the chicken folks

In this area, most of the workers are actually locals.

[2naSalit]

44. I always thought that's where they got their

name recognition. Huh. I figured the workers were locals, always seemed to be that way in GA and AL at the chicken processors from whom I picked up loads. I didn't frequent the SE but I've been in and out a fair number of times. Guess I wasn't paying much attention to the popular names and divergence of family namesakes... which is a topic of interest for me so I am interested in my error.

Thanks for the clarification, much appreciated. I hate it when I get it wrong but I hate it more if I don't learn what was wrong!

[oldsoftie]

45. Sonny used to be a Democrat state legislator. Then switched parties.

He became Gov by hoodwinking the "save the flag" people into thinking he would put the rebel flag back on part of the Ga state flag. Boy were THEY pissed off when he didnt
His biggest crime while in office, IMO, was when Weyerhauser decided to sell a several hundred acre "old growth" area bordering a major river. The Nature Conservancy offered to buy it and sell it to the state interest free. But Sonny owned adjoining land. So he turned them down & a group of his friends bought the land. The value of Sonny's land jumped because of the development plans of the "friends". HOWEVER.....2008-9 put a stop to. those plans. The state later ended up buying the property anyway; but the assholes still made a profit off the land.
Sonny is a big time shirt-sleeve Christian.

Sorry if you didnt really care to know THAT much about him. I just like to spread that story when i can.

[2naSalit]

46. Thank you.

I will keep it in the roll-o-dex, in the need to know folder. These things matter, especially for known criminals.

[HotTeaBag]

19. On the other hand,

a well dressed chicken is a great conversation starter.

[Wellstone ruled]

22. Oh boy,

Leghorn.

[magicarpet]

4. trDumpie says they are just line worker employees....

.... let them catch the virus they will eventually build up immunity and then won't need the expensive vaccine. It will be better for the economy if they continue to work.

USA, USA, USA !

[SWBTATTReg]

5. Schucks, a major grocery store chain put up plexiglass barriers between customers and their ...

checkers in the checkout lines, to protect both the customer and the cashiers. A clever idea and one that says Schucks does care about its people. Home Depot gave all of its full time people immediate two weeks extra paid time off (and part time 1 week off), plus they gave all employees all kinds of disinfectant materials for their immediate work areas. They also reduced their hours and they are classified as an 'essential' business.

[Sherman A1]

7. Schnucks and Dierbergs both put up plexiglass

Which is great for the checkers, the folks on the sales floor are still screwed.

[SWBTATTReg]

9. Yes, true. I am sure that they are thinking of some work-arounds. It's good that these ...

companies are moving ahead and implementing processes/infrastructure changes/etc. to help deal w/ this outbreak. The more positive and aggressive companies have been doing so, and to be frank w/ you, I'm impressed and it's good to see. I just think down the road what it'll all look like after a month, a few months, and longer down the road, for I foresee this hanging around for some time.

Be safe and careful!

[luvtheGWN]

29. All our grocery stores here in Ontario are doing the same thing.

Plexiglass shields, hand sanitizers, spraying the counter after each use. I wear latex gloves in the store and throw them in the wastebasket when I leave. Then I unpack at home and use the hand sanitizer again. Eau de Purell is now my favourite scent!

[SWBTATTReg]

34. Good for you all! Be safe and take care of yourselves up there! A concerned STLMO fan of Canada!

[luvtheGWN]

37. My niece just oversaw the building and opening of the new Loew's Hotel in STL.

Just in time for baseball season............

[SWBTATTReg]

58. Hopefully she got to visit and try out some of our famous STLMO Italian specialities, such as...

toasted ravioli, and other Italian dishes the area is famous for (a region in STLMO called 'The Hill' has tons of Italian restaurants, garlic bread, pastas out the wazoo, and salads that go on forever, as well as a special atmosphere that is enjoyable to sit and visit). World known also for the Zoo and other attractions. Hopefully she got a little time away to perhaps enjoy herself. I'll have to go and see the new Hotel when I get a chance.

Take care, be safe, and be sure to tell your niece a BIG HELLO from STLMO.

[luvtheGWN]

59. She grew up in an Italian-Canadian family

so no doubt she's taste-tested the best the city has to offer! Cheers from Canuckistan! AKA the magnificent country to the north!

[SWBTATTReg]

60. Ha ha heh...how nice and wonderful (tasting the fine foods, etc.). Cheers and a big Hooray to ...

our wonderful Canadian friends to the north. I've been lucky enough to visit a couple of places in Canada (Quebec City, Montreal, etc.) and the architecture and history is so amazing.

Of course in my mind, the people are the best. I still think about my friends in Quebec City but gosh, it's been a long time since I have heard from them...I think that they may have moved back to Paris (they commuted back and forth quite a bit).

[superpatriotman]

8. Kick

Every person who handles or touches food in the entire supply chain needs to be tested immediately and often.

[RobinA]

11. Is There Any Proof

that this is transmitted by food? I'm not snarking, I'm genuinely curious. My sister and I were just talking about this the other day.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. Might be best to assume it can until proven otherwise. Cook it.

[oldsoftie]

15. And with chicken, there's no such thing as "how do you like it cooked?"

you COOK it

[grantcart]

24. No it remains active on surfaces for 48 hours

Doesn't contaminate food.

[wnylib]

32. Your source?

[grantcart]

48. Source for what?

How long it lasts on different surfaces?

I read two different scientific articles that gave 48 hours as the outside time that the virus would exist on a surface. They explained that the virus's outside envelope that made it particularly virulent in the body was actually quite sensitive outside the body and didn't survive for long when exposed. NIH states that on most surfaces would last less than 24 hours but could last up to 72 hours on plastic and stainless steel.

National Institute for Health

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/new-coronavirus-stable-hours-surfaces

The virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces, according to a new study from National Institutes of Health, CDC, UCLA and Princeton University scientists in The New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

Food Transmission? Been widely reported that the Corona virus does not contaminate food, here is a sample

There is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 is passed on through food. The main risk of transmission is from close contact with infected people. The advice to food businesses and consumers is to maintain good hygiene practices and to wash your hands regularly. Thorough cooking will kill the virus.

[wnylib]

54. I am familiar with how long the

virus lasts on various surfaces. I was referring to food transsmission and should have been clearer in my question.

The virus would, of course, die during cooking. But, as i type, my concern is being confirmed about transmission while handling food before it is cooked. I am listening to an NPR discussion on the subject.

If the virus is present, it will get on my fingers as I prepare a chicken for cooking. Anything I touch, then, e.g. knife, counter, cutting board, etc. will be contaminated. If I touch my face, there is a risk. I know we should not touch our faces, but sometimes doing so is so automatic that it happens without conscious awareness.

When I open a package of raw meat, I do it at the sink so the blood drains, and then rinse the meat. So there is contamination of the sink, too.

My grocery store has a butcher who cuts up meat and packages it. Besides the handler at Perdue, there is the chance that the butcher is infected.

So handling food requires extra care now. It is not reassuring if the chicken factory is careless before the meat even gets to me.

[grantcart]

55. not "contaminated", and not "infected"

I think you are conflating two different things

food that is infected by a bacterial pathogen like salmonella

and

the coronavirus that does not "infect" or contaminate food with a living organism that will persist in the food while the food goes through packaging, distribution and preparation.

There is no chance that a coronavirus that lands on the surface of a chicken in a Perdue plant will survive slaughter, cleaning, packaging and delivery over a week period because the chicken is just like any other surface and is not prolonging the life of the pathogen like it would with salmonella.

There is a chance that those handling any package of food at the store might leave an active coronavirus on the package but it wouldn't be more or less effective than if it was a box of Ritz crackers.

Not a scientist and wouldn't be embarrassed to be corrected, but I think there is a big difference between the Coronavirus which is spread through very close interaction or contact and food contamination that is spread through the food source that keeps it viable and survives improper cooking and makes you sick when you eat it.

[wnylib]

56. Clarification of terminology and virus "behavior."

Virus infection refers to a host animal (or person) that has a virus growing and reproducing within it by using the host's RNA.

Contamination refers to anything that comes in contact with a virus so that the virus gets on it. Viruses do not grow on foods or other surfaces like mold and bacteria do. But they can remain viable (capable of activating in a host) on foods in the right moisture and temperature settings (lower than cooking temp).

Many foods have the right setting of moisture and temp to carry viable viruses. Examples of foodborne viruses are Norovirus, hepatitis A, and hepatitis E. The first two are associated with fresh produce and shellfish. Hepatitis E is associated with meats. People can become hosts (infected) with Hepatitis E by eating the meat of an infected animal (chicken, pork, or beef) if the meat is not cooked to a high enough temperature because the virus remains viable in the dead animal and "activates" in a new, vulnerable host.

Viruses are species specific, unless they mutate to a form that can cross to another species. The coronavirus responsible for covid 19 does not, as far as I know, infect (grow in) chicken, pork, or beef. But all of those raw meats are capable of carrying and keeping a virus viable until properly cooked if they come in contact (get contaminated) with a virus.

So, a chicken factory worker who has covid 19 can pass the virus to the chicken by coughing or sneezing. Same with pork or beef processing plants. Further cutting and packaging does not mean the virus will be removed or destroyed. There are MANY viruses in a sneeze or cough. Some might get transferred to equipment in cutting and then to the next chicken. Irradiation works on bacteria. Not designed for viruses.

Handling a contaminated chicken (or other meat) can pass the virus onto hands, into a sink, onto a counter, etc., making them contaminated until sanitized.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

39. This is where professional statements can be misleading.

I've done some research on this regarding contamination of carry-out and packaged foods in groceries.

What I found was statements like this:

Although health officials are still learning about the transmission of the coronavirus, there is no evidence that it can spread from an infected person through food they have handled or prepared, according to Harvard Health.

What that does not tell us is that there is no evidence that it does NOT spread from an infected person through food.

However, most people reading the quoted piece will assume all foods are safe, even though an infected kid at McDonald's coughed on my hamburger while placing it in its wrapper.

There is proven scientific evidence that this virus can survive for quite some time on many surfaces, depending on moisture, surface characteristics and temperature. Therefore it makes no sense that it cannot survive on food and food packaging.

We need to see a thorough scientific study of exactly how long it survives on various foods and packaging and on what re-heating temperatures are required to neutralize it.

KY...............

[grantcart]

49. two different issues: can it remain active on food or can it contaminate food

1) It can remain active on any normal temperature surface, in some cases for a few minutes others for 2-3 days. If someone sneezed on your hamburger as you were eating it you would be exposed

2) If someone sneezed on it at the meat packing plant it wouldn't contaminate the food and wouldn't remain active long enough to spread.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

52. Agreed. And, we all know how long fast food lasts, LOL.

Another issue is prepackaged, chilled foods. For example, packs of deli turkey or potato salad packaged in stores. The virus will survive far longer at low temperatures according to research, although I'm still trying to make sense of papers I've collected.

I'm highly susceptible to having a very bad outcome if I'm infected and that's why I'm insisting we heat all foods adequately to denature the virus before we eat any of it......pizza, deli items, etc.

Sadly, because this is a brand-new virus to science, credible research papers on these topics are still in the making or very difficult to find on-line.

KY...........

[reACTIONary]

31. Currently there is no evidence of food ....

Currently there is no evidence of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of COVID-19.

https://www.fda.gov/food/food-safety-during-emergencies/food-safety-and-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

[KY_EnviroGuy]

40. There's also no evidence that it is NOT spread that way (*).

Why? Because extensive scientific testing has not been done on the hundreds of scenarios under which food is sourced, transported, process and packaged, or assembled into a carry-out meal or pre-packed food in groceries.

(*) At least none that I've found in my searches.

[reACTIONary]

50. You are correct...

... there may be reasons (based on other viruses that have been studied) to suspect that is not the case, but there is no evidence (that I've found) that it definitely isn't.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

53. Thanks. It's very unfortunate those statements are being commonly published.

Please see my Post #39 above where I quote an example.

I tested that issue on my grown daughter, a teacher, tonight by reading that quote to her and she agreed that most people would interpret the statement to mean we can eat anything without worry.

I'm thinking of sending some emails out to publishers expressing objection to this practice. Unfortunately, the CDC is as guilty as any. It really is very sloppy scientific writing.

KY.........

[iluvtennis]

13. Bravo. And they can still qualify unemployment. I walked out of a job years ago due

to unhealthy/unsafe environment. I had to go before an employment judge who ruled in my favor over the company.

[bucolic_frolic]

16. No wonder Trump wants to push everyone back to work ASAP

As soon as workers realize the risks of being in close proximity frequently during the day, those who can afford and some of those who can't will stop working. Output plunges. Republican profiteering of workers stops, cash flow plummets.

[SunSeeker]

23. It's just forestalling the inevitable, but with an extra 2 million dead.

Trump let the virus spread to every state by not doing aggressive testing and quarantining like South Korea did (who has now contained their epidemic).

Our only hope is to socially isolate, to give healthcare and testing a chance to catch up.

If he sends everyone back to work, we will have millions more deaths, and the economy will still collapse. Either way, the economy will collapse. His way will involve about 2 million extra coffins.

[Traildogbob]

18. Secretary of Ag

Purdue, Trump ass kisser. "It's a hoax, get to fucking work, we"ll get some Anti Malania Pills, take the cost from your pay." MAGA

[Bernardo de La Paz]

21. Perdue: Profit over lives? What chicken brands are they making?

[2naSalit]

27. A list here...

https://www.perduefarms.com/en-US/brands-page.html

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. Thanks. Here are the Perdue brands condensed:

"Perdue brand is the No. 1 brand of fresh chicken in the U.S."

Coleman Natural Foods
Niman Ranch
Prairie Grove
Panorama Meats
Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats
Petaluma
Petaluma Poultry
Spot Farms
Draper Valley Farms
Full Moon

[luvtheGWN]

30. None of them available in the GWN

as far as I know.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

33. Probably true, but I'm thinking of Americans I don't want to get sick (which is all of them)

If they have such abhorrent food handling in an epidemic at one plant, it probably happens at all their plants.

[luvtheGWN]

38. Agreed.

[wnylib]

35. Off topic a little, but related regarding

workers.

I heard a report today regarding employees at Amazon. Several have complained that they are working in cose contact, have no protection, and some people they worked with have tested positive. Some employees have left because of it.

Remember that when you receive a package you ordered from Amazon.

No wonder these places are hiring. It is not only due to demand, but to workers getting sick and healthy ones leaving before they get sick.

[DENVERPOPS]

36. It is clearly evident from reading this article

That the American public needs a CLASS ONE hazmat suit to go shopping and not just a mask and hand sanitizer.......

Aw, what the hell, it's merely the second Large Scale Genocide in "America"......done by the same, rich group of assholes as the last ones who wiped out the Native Americans. Too fucking bad the Native Americans didn't have a group of Border Patrol agents and "ICE" agents......

These clowns are using Corona, their ancestors used Smallpox.........

[Laelth]

51. Kathleen is in metro Macon, GA., my hometown.

We process a lot of chicken, and the people who do it are treated like dirt. I am proud of these workers for standing up for themselves. That said, they have almost certainly lost their jobs, won’t get unemployment (because they quit), and will be quickly and easily replaced. Got to love “right to work” laws.



-Laelth

[UpInArms]

57. It sounds like they are using this

Last week, the federal government deemed food industry workers as mission-critical personnel.

To exploit their workers