Yakima Valley fruit companies say they're following safety guidelines; protesting workers disagree
...Protesting workers want management to provide hazard pay and stronger safety measures.
Workers “shouldn’t have to be put in the position to choose between their job and their well-being and their family’s well-being,” Franks said during an interview at Matson Fruit.
Officials at all three companies maintain they have worked to meet federal, state and local health guidelines, including those from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state Department of Labor and Industries and the Yakima Health District...
All three warehouses have reported cases of COVID-19, and Yakima Health District figures provided to the Herald-Republic Tuesday afternoon show there are about 310 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the agriculture and food production industry — roughly 15% of total cases, which surpassed 2,000 Tuesday.
Word of confirmed cases spread among fruit packers in recent weeks. That has generated concern among workers over whether companies have been doing enough to keep them safe...
The biggest demand among protesters is hazard pay.
A $2-per-hour boost in pay has provided by some retailers during the COVID-19 pandemic, including Fred Meyer and Walmart...