Minnesota Senate Bill 1598, entitled the Safe Workplaces for Meat and Poultry Processing Workers Act, would require the appointment of a state “meatpacking industry worker rights coordinator” in the Department of Labor and Industry. The bill would also establish that meat-processing workers have a 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, or exposure to illness or injury.” Meat-processing employers would be prohibited from retaliating against a worker for making a good faith refusal to work, and the bill would authorize civil and whistleblower enforcement of the Act along with requiring certain safety training, record keeping, and medical resources.