Nebraska Senator Proposes Protections For Meat Plant Workers
January 12, 2021 4:32AM CST
Tony Vargas
(KFOR NEWS January 12, 2021) (AP) – A Nebraska lawmaker is proposing new coronavirus protections for meatpacking workers in a new bill.
The proposal by Sen. Tony Vargas, of Omaha, would require meatpacking companies to provide masks and adequate space for social distancing to keep the virus from spreading. Companies would also have to paid sick leave for workers who test positive for the virus, separate from any other paid sick leave. Vargas introduced a similar measure last summer, but the bill failed to advance.
His south Omaha district has a large number of meatpacking workers, and his father died from complications of the coronavirus last year.
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