Meatpacking workers and their families bore extraordinarily high burdens during the covid-19PANDEMIC

The industry was considered critical infrastructure under the defense production act, butthe federal government failed to impose any rules to protect workers from covid outbreaks. The coldand damp environment found in plants created a perfect storm for the covid virus to spread. As aresult, over 59,000 meatpackers contracted or were exposed to covid across the largest fivemeatpacking companies. Others lost income due to quarantine and school closures. Farm workers alsotoiled throughout the pandemic with little access to PPE or other protections, leading to covid casesamong their communities. Their often-complicated documentation status made IT difficult or impossibleto access relief resources. The ufcw represents farmworkers in several states. This grant will offerthese workers a small reimbursement for the economic costs they bore. The ufcw foundation, thenon-profit arm of the united food and commercial workers union, will educate workers about the newrelief fund, assist workers in applying for relief funds, and process their applications. Our goal is toprocess 539,977 relief applications for 500,000 meatpacking workers and 39,977 farmworkers over a 24-month period. During the pandemic, ufcw maintained an active presence in all 50 states, ensuring itsmembers had access to PPE equipment, hand-washing stations, and safe places to gather whilemaintaining social distancing. Ufcw field staff are trusted community leaders and will be in a primeposition to assist workers in accessing their funds.