ST. LOUIS – A Smithfield Foods official said the company is doing everything it can to protect its workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, calling a newly filed lawsuit frivolous.
“Smithfield Foods has a policy of not commenting on the specifics of pending litigation," Keira Lombardo,executive vice president of corporate affairs and compliance at Smithfield Foods, told the St. Louis Record. "We are glad to have had the opportunity through our extensive briefing and at last week’s hearing to demonstrate to the court that this is a frivolous complaint, full of specious allegations that are without factual or legal merit and that Plaintiffs have utterly failed to establish that they are entitled to injunctive relief."
KCUR reported on the lawsuit last month. The suit was brought against the meat producer by an unidentified employee and Rural Workers Community Alliance, a small nonprofit that advocates for workers in northern Missouri, including employees at the Milan plant. The suit claims that the producer did not provide workers with the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and forced them to work shoulder-to-shoulder instead of instituting safe social distancing.
Lombardo said that the plaintiffs' assertions are based on speculation, hearsay, anonymous declarations and outdated information. She said they are nothing more than an attempt by several groups to promote their own agenda through accusations.
"We are doing everything in our power to help protect our team members from COVID-19 in the workplace," Lombardo said. "At the core of our COVID-19 response is an ongoing focus on employee health and safety and continued adherence with – at a minimum – the CDC and OSHA guidance."
Lombardo said they have instilled safety measures throughout all of their facilities.
"All these actions complement safety measures already in place at all our locations and are on top of the hygienic and sanitary environments maintained at all times in our industry for food safety and quality purposes," Lombardo said.
The suit also claims that workers were not allowed to go wash their hands and they were discouraged from using their sick leave, and claims the meat producer also failed to make testing and contact tracing plans, the news agency reported.