Photo courtesy of Voces de la frontera
Walker Square Park is at the heart of Milwaukee’s South Side, peacefully sitting across from the United Community Center and kitty corner from the grotto with the shrine to the Virgin Mary that was built in 1999. Friday, a meeting is being held to discuss the plan of action to be taken by 28 employees that were laid off by Strauss, a meat packing plant based in Milwaukee. Since April 22, Voces de la frontera filed complaints with OSHA and the City of Milwaukee health department regarding the lack of information and protection from the spread of COVID-19 at Strauss. The investigation remains active, workers have been speaking up in order to have themselves heard and to protect their health. The company has failed to implement a proper six feet distance rule and has still not provided sick days to their workers, as well as not informing other workers who amongst them have tested positive for the virus.
These were simple requests made by the workers, and Strauss responded by firing 28 employees, citing a no-match through the Social Security administration for all of them. There are many reasons a “no-match” may exist through clerical errors, name changes or reporting errors by an employee or an employer.
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From the press release by Voces de la frontera:
"Some employers who receive no-match letters mistakenly believe that the letter indicates that a worker is not authorized to work legally in the United States. Federal agency guidance, legal authority, and the no-match letter itself confirm that a no-match letter does not “make any statement about an employee’s immigration status.” Strauss clearly knows this or would not have reaffirmed proper protocol in the union contract. The SS No-Match letter is being used as a tool for retaliation and prejudice against essential workers who are seeking protections on the job and to be treated with the dignity they deserve.
As a company that prides itself in being a premier producer of “humanely raised veal and lamb products” and a company “recognized for their leadership in humane and ethical animal welfare,” the workers are calling on them to extend that same concern to the workers that produce the products you sell. We call on you to reinstate the workers in 24 hours, and implement the highest standards of CDC-OSHA guidelines, including anti-retaliation policies, to protect the health and lives of workers at Strauss. If there are workers who do not wish to return, we call on providing honorable compensation for their years of work and their hazard pay during this pandemic. In addition, if anyone should be terminated, the HR director must be held accountable and fired. She has acted unprofessionally and created economic and emotional hardship for essential workers at Strauss."
These are all workers who have been at the company between 12-20 years and have steadily worked through the pandemic. During my visit to the meeting I stood in the circle of the 23 employees, listening to their testimonials and plans of action. There were quite a few horror stories, such as people being shrugged off when injured or having hours reduced. They only want to return to work with proper precautions and help keep the industry afloat. They deserve to be heralded as people that are keeping the country moving, and above all, deserve to be heard.
