Pa. Meatpacking Plant Workers Seek Judicial Intervention in COVID-19 Safety Dispute

HARRISBURG — A group of meatpacking plant employees who sued the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after the agency failed to enforce COVID-19 protocols at Maid-Rite Specialty Foods LLC’s facility told a Pennsylvania federal judge that court intervention is necessary to ensure their safety.

In a Dec. 8 letter filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the workers say OSHA’s refusal to cite Maid-Rite for ignoring physical distancing requirements at its Dunmore, Pa., plant, justifies the court’s intervention in the matter.

“The dangerous conditions at Maid-Rite remain substantially unchanged,” the workers maintain. “Most importantly, workers …