In a nationwide protest, Teamsters working in all areas of the country’s food supply chain on June 10 demanded state governments and employers take action to keep them safe and protect the nation’s food supply amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Workers in more than 30 cities raised their voices to demand change in the wake of recent COVID-19 outbreaks in the food industry, specifically the need for enforceable safety standards, government funding for paid sick and family leave, hazard pay, access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing capacity.

The protests took place outside of major U.S. food facilities, including the Kroger warehouse in Memphis and the UNFI warehouse in Denver, and were held in cities from Houston to La Habra, Calif. to Springfield, Mo. COVID-19 cases have been reported at more than 115 meat and poultry processing facilities across 19 states, with over 5,000 food supply chain workers testing positive and more than 20 killed from the virus.

“Until employers, state governments and the federal government step up and deliver enhanced safety measures and federal funding to food facilities, warehouses and stores in need, millions of workers’ lives will be at risk — not to mention the wellbeing of millions of American consumers,” said Rome Aloise, Director of the Teamsters Food Processing and Dairy Divisions.

“We are calling for a shield, test, trace and treat approach for food workers across the industry. This means providing PPE for all workers, adjusting work practices for social distancing, prioritizing regular COVID-19 testing and tracing for food supply chain workers, and covering all COVID-related health expenses and quarantine pay to prevent outbreaks for all workers impacted by COVID-19,” he added.

Teamsters represent nearly 500,000 workers at every level of the food chain — from meat and dairy processing, packing, transportation and delivery, to the country’s largest breweries, bakeries, soft drink companies and grocery chains. The union fears a resurgence of COVID-19 could put the food supply on the brink of collapse.

In order to protect food workers — both union and nonunion — and the country’s food supply chain, the Teamsters are calling for enhanced safety measures at all food facilities and demanding protections that align with a report put out in May by Johns Hopkins University on the safety measures critical to securing the supply chain.

“Food workers are the foundation of this U.S. supply chain and account for more than 11 percent of our country’s workforce, yet many continue to be treated like they are disposable,” said Kevin Shappell, a dairy worker at Lehigh Dairy in Pennsylvania and member of Local 429.

“Protecting the food supply chain and the millions of workers running every level of it needs to be a top priority for employers and the government,” he added. “My employer is doing their best, but we know that’s not the case in nonunion facilities. I’ve seen how fragile our plant and warehouses are amidst this pandemic. We need government support at every level to promote and fund industry-wide solutions. We need to have real plans in place for a possible second wave.”

 At least a dozen facilities have shut down in response to COVID-19 outbreaks. As a result, the food supply chain, which accounts for more than 20 million jobs and more than 5 percent of the U.S. GDP, is experiencing major shortages and is at risk of further disruptions as the pandemic continues.

“CVS took far too long to respond to numerous worker concerns, including crowding issues in my department, the Pharmacy Department, putting many workers at risk of being exposed to the virus,” said Local 952 member Job Parra, an 11-year employee of the CVS Distribution Center in La Habra, Calif. “As a result, 35 of us were possibly exposed to a co-worker who got infected, and we all had to be sent home for two weeks. I was very concerned about my family’s health, including my baby daughter and son who will turn 4 in July.”