SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Big meatpacking companies that have struggled to keep plants open during the coronavirus crisis say they welcome President Donald Trump’s executive order that plants must remain open. But unions, some employees and Democrats raised questions about whether workers could be kept safe.
Trump has used the Defense Production Act to classify meat processors as critical infrastructure to try to prevent supermarket shelves from running out.
Some employees and unions say the president’s order was not enough.
They are calling on authorities to ensure social distancing in plants and to offer greater protections such as priority access to testing and protective equipment.