Minnesota Considers Instituting Workplace Safety Measures for Meat and Poultry Plants

Minnesota House Bill 800, titled the Safe Workplaces for Meat and Poultry Processing Workers Act, would require the appointment of a meatpacking industry worker rights coordinator in the Department of Labor and Industry, grant meat processing workers the right to refuse to work “under conditions that the worker reasonably believes would expose the worker, other workers, or the public to an unreasonable risk of illness or injury,” and require safety training. The bill also includes protections for whistleblowers and guidelines to govern the administration of unemployment insurance claims for meat-processing workers.