Overtime forced on stressed workers: union

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This article was published 22/08/2020 (1852 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As the threat of COVID-19 hangs over their heads, hundreds of already stressed workers at Maple Leaf Foods’ Brandon pork-processing plant are being forced to work an overtime shift today over a backlog in production, the union representing employees charged Friday.

“Forcing overtime is the absolute wrong thing to do right now; it’s only making matters worse inside the plant,” Jeff Traeger, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832, said in a news release.

“If the plant isn’t going to halt production, the least Maple Leaf can do is respect the fact that the extra stress and anxiety is taking its toll, and now Maple Leaf is forcing employees to come in for even more shifts.”

The union, which represents 2,000 workers at the Brandon plant, has been calling on the company to stop production at the plant until an outbreak of COVID-19 is under control.

As of Friday morning, there were 70 cases of the virus among workers at the plant, according to the union.

Differing numbers were presented Thursday during a news briefing by chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin.

So far, there has been no evidence of workplace transmission.

A longtime worker at the Brandon plant, who asked not to be identified, said he and his co-workers are stressed out and they’re afraid.

“They’re tired, they’re exhausted,” he said. “In some areas, things can be not produced; the lines can be slowed down to accommodate staffing. In other areas, you don’t have that option.”

He added: “If anybody deserves a weekend, it’s the people who work in that building. Everyone there is working to the breaking point. People are scared to go to work. People are scared to be there.”

Another worker who asked to remain anonymous said they are not being given any choice in working overtime.

“We are pretty stressed out, but there’s nothing we can do about it,” the worker said.

On Friday, the union sent a letter to Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Cameron Friesen again calling for a halt in production at the Brandon plant until case numbers stop increasing and demanding further followup inspections by public health.

“Manitoba has done better than most jurisdictions precisely because we have taken an evidence-based approach and followed the advice of public health experts,” a spokesperson for Friesen said in an email to the Sun. “All decisions on additional measures will be guided by Dr. Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer.”

The union has also been pushing for the company to not schedule production on Saturdays.

“Maple Leaf has had the right to mandate overtime since they opened in Brandon,” Traeger said. “But Brandon has been placed in a code orange in accordance with the Manitoba provincial risk level. Now is not the time to mandate additional overtime.”

Maple Leaf announced in a statement earlier in the week it has temporarily suspended pork exports to China after workers at its plant in Brandon tested positive for COVID-19.

“We know this is a very challenging time, and that’s why this week, we announced a $200, one-time bonus for Team Members who work six consecutive days including Saturday,” Maple Leaf Foods spokeswoman Janet Riley said in an email to the Sun Friday afternoon.

“We sought volunteers for the Saturday shift and succeeded in getting a number of volunteers, but we needed additional Team Members in order to operate,” Riley said.

“We are requesting that our employees work overtime during this critical time as our hog producer partners have animals that are ready to come to market and it’s critical that we process them to avoid an animal welfare issue.”

» brobertson@brandonsun.com