Employees who were in unions or pushing to join them have been laid off and replaced by nonunionized labor. It’s part of a pattern stretching back decades, experts say.

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Multiple outbreaks of COVID-19 and staffing shortages have forced some of the nation’s largest meat processing plants to temporarily close.

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Delaware poultry worker files federal charges against local union, claiming violations Delaware News Journal Published 12:52 PM EDT Apr 28, 2020 An employee at a southern Delaware chicken plant has filed federal charges against their union representative, claiming "union officials are violating his and his coworkers’ rights by seizing union fees." Oscar Cruz Sosa, an employee at Mountaire Farms’ poultry processing plant in Selbyville, has filed federal charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 27 union for threats and other violations of federal law, according to a press release issued Tuesday by the National Right to Work Foundation. Sosa said the union seized union fees "under an unlawful forced dues provision in the union contract," according to the release. Sosa’s charges also allege that a union official visited Sosa at his home in March and threatened him for submitting a petition seeking a vote to remove the union from his workplace.  Mountaire Farms of Delmarva located in Selbyville, De. Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. Staff Photo by Megan Raymond THE CORONAVIRUS CONNECTION: Why Sussex County has seen a drastic increase in coronavirus cases The charges come after a debate regarding decertification of the union, which union officials previously said represents about 800 employees at Allen Harim’s processing plant in Harbeson and 1,000 at Mountaire Farms’ processing plant in Selbyville. The local union also represents workers in other industries throughout the state. The National Right to Work Foundation attorneys representing Sosa in his claims are also defending the workers’ right to hold a vote in that proceeding, the release said. Sosa is asking the board to order union officials to refund dues and fees seized from him and his coworkers under that clause. RELATED: During the coronavirus outbreak, are Delaware’s chicken plant workers able to stay safe? As for the March visit from an uninvited union official, Sosa’s charge describes that interaction as “threatening” and “coercive behavior” and a clear attempt to restrain Sosa and his coworkers’ right to vote out the union. A worker enters the Allen Harim chicken processing plant in Harbeson Thursday. WILLIAM BRETZGER, DELAWARE NEWS JOURNAL SUSSEX COUNCILMAN: Testing chicken plant workers for COVID-19 a ‘dumb idea’ “The threats and dues deductions in this case show how union bosses regularly trample workers’ rights in order to keep forced dues rolling into their coffers,” said National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “We hope that NLRB Region 5 will immediately prosecute the union for these violations, and ultimately order that the union refund all union dues and fees collected from Mountaire Farms workers under the unlawful forced dues clause.” Earlier this month, union officials said they’ve been trying to get Mountaire to implement more protection measures for employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. State and local officials have turned their attention to Delaware’s poultry plants in recent weeks as more cases are confirmed and the virus spreads throughout the communities where those workers live. Contact reporter Maddy Lauria at (302) 345-0608, mlauria@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @MaddyinMilford. Published 12:52 PM EDT Apr 28, 2020

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Trump wants to keep meatpacking plants open no matter what danger that poses to workers and the public itself.

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GREELEY, COLO. – JBS USA alleged that the union representing workers at the company’s Greeley beef processing plant is violating the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between JBS and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union.

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The president of the AFL-CIO, one of the largest union federations in the U.S., penned a…

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Major labor unions are accusing the Trump administration of allowing some companies receiving federal aid to avoid payroll and other requirements under the coronavirus relief package.

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As the pandemic squeezes US food supply, the president designates the plants critical infrastructure.

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Stop & Shop joins grocers calling for workers to be labeled ‘extended first responders’ NorthJersey.com Published 4:00 AM EDT Apr 28, 2020 Stop & Shop and a union that represents employees at its stores on Monday joined a growing call from the industry to label grocery workers "extended first responders" amid the coronavirus pandemic. Grocery store workers are busier than ever as consumers rush supermarkets to stock up on food, disinfectant and other supplies. An emergency personnel designation would provide them with priority access to testing, emergency childcare and protective gear, according to the joint statement from Stop & Shop and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, or UFCW. “Make no mistake, Stop & Shop associates are essential workers and they deserve essential protections,” Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid and UFCW President Marc Perrone said. The nation’s largest grocery chain, Kroger, and Albertsons, which owns Safeway and Acme, issued similar joint statements with the union earlier in April. By then, 30 of the union’s members had died from complications related to the coronavirus. Stop & Shop service attendants wheel shopping carts back to the store, as they wear masks, March 18, 2020. Mark Vergari/The Journal News Stop & Shop’s 70,000 UFCW workers in New Jersey, New York and three other Northeast states were in March granted 10% raises and two weeks of paid leave if they become sick with COVID-19. That pay increase and sick policy were extended through May 30, Reid and Perrone announced Monday. An early April poll of 267 organizations by human resources association WorldatWork found roughly 2 in 3 business are not paying hazard pay but instead are offering workers benefits, such as free day care and meals, during the pandemic. One in 10 businesses were offering no hazard pay or additional benefits, according to the poll. Coronavirus: Complete coverage on New Jersey cases and the state’s response Above and Beyond: Supermarket workers among unsung heroes of coronavirus pandemic Retail: Has the coronavirus crisis changed supermarkets forever — or just for now? Many grocers are increasing pay amid the outbreak, recognizing the extra workload and heightened danger for workers, who face potential contamination from shoppers and co-workers.  Whole Foods, owned by, Amazon, is paying hourly employees an additional $2 per hour in "hazard pay" through the end of April – as are Wegmans and Albertsons. A New Jersey consortium of workers’ rights groups known as Fair Workweek NJ has nonetheless argued that the increase is not enough. The group has called for grocery, warehouse and food delivery workers to earn time and a half for any hours worked under the state’s public health emergency. Shoppers arrive at Stop & Shop before the store opens in Hackensack at Summit Plaza on Tuesday March 17, 2020. Beginning Thursday, March 19th, all Stop & Shop stores will open earlier in order to service only customers who are age 60 and over from 6:00a.m.-7:30a.m. daily. Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com In an April 21 letter to state officials, the group asked for a partial or total shutdown of a business when a worker tests positive and a paid leave to allow for disinfection, advanced schedule posting and improvements to the state’s paid leave program.  “The definition of ‘first responder’ is not broad enough and does not ensure that all of the front-line workers who are currently getting sick with COVID19 on the job can work with some social and financial security,” the letter said. In Washington, Senate Democrats in April proposed a $13 per hour base pay for workers who are risking their health just by showing up for work. Called the Heroes Fund, it would provide up to $25,000 in 2020 for qualifying “essential workers,” though that phrase remains undefined in the proposal. David Zimmer is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: zimmer@northjersey.com Twitter: @dzimmernews  Published 4:00 AM EDT Apr 28, 2020

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 When they have not sold enough spot advertising, broadcasters air public service announcements that these days are all about how we are "in this…

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