Iowa Meatpacker Faces Lawsuit Over Employee Death
The family of a man who died of COVID-19 back in 2020 is suing his place of work- JBS.
Jose Andrade-Garcia’s family is suing JBS saying they disregarded worker safety when it came to COVID-19.
According to KCCI, Andrade-Garcia went to work even when he felt sick because he was afraid of getting fired for not showing up.
There is a social media post from the Marshalltown JBS posted in March 2020 that shows the employees all in a cafeteria eating together- at a time when the governor had a public gathering order in place that limited gatherings to no more than 10 people.
The suit points to the photos saying JBS didn’t implement basic safety precautions at the lunch (social distancing, limited seating, protective equipment) and that workers were also subject to similar conditions even while working.
JBS has not commented on the lawsuit.
The JBS plant is not the only one that is facing lawsuits when it comes to COVID-19.
Tyson Foods was hit with multiple lawsuits last year from families of the workers that have passed away, alleging they caught COVID from the company’s plant.
The lawsuit against the Waterloo plant is tied to five wrongful death suits and more than 1,000 meatpacker worker infections.
Smithfield Foods paid the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration $13,494 to settle a citation for failing to protect its employees from exposure to COVID. According to Iowa Capitol Dispatch, the settlement can’t be “used or admitted in evidence in any proceeding or litigation by affected workers”.