Foster Farms workers seek increased safety measures amid COVID-19 pandemic, says group
As the number of people testing positive for the coronavirus rises in the central San Joaquin Valley, so does the concern among workers at large companies deemed “essential” to keep food and supply chains intact.
No employees have been confirmed as infected with the virus at Foster Farms, which has two plants in Fresno and facilities in Livingston and Turlock, said Ira Brill, the company’s vice president of communications.
Still, some workers at the poultry company wonder whether enough is being done to keep them safe from the spread of the contagion, said Naindeep Singh, executive director of the nonprofit Jakara Movement, a Sikh community and youth organization.
Singh, who pointed out that Foster Farms is one of the largest employers of Valley Sikhs, told The Bee he’s in regular contact with employees at all four locations.
“We have staff members, volunteers and board members that have either worked at Foster Farms or are the children of past and present Foster Farms workers,” Singh said. “Workers and their families are concerned that not all steps are being put in place to put their health at the top of the list.”
Brill, however, said Foster Farms has worked rapidly to minimize the risk of COVID-19 for its employees, even before Singh registered his concerns to the company. “Almost from the moment that the coronavirus became something that any substantial business had to react to, we began working as a company to respond,” Brill said.
Foster Farms employs about 3,000 people at its two Fresno plants, 3,200 in Livingston and 1,300 in Turlock, Brill said, encompassing plant, logistics, transportation/distribution, management and administrators.
In a letter to Foster Farms earlier this month, Singh sought to encourage the company to take a number of steps to reduce the potential for employees who may not even know they have COVID-19 – the respiratory disease caused by the fast-spreading contagion – from passing the virus along to co-workers in the close quarters of the processing plant.
“I understand the essential role they play in the food supply,” Singh said. “But at the same time, if we consider these essential workers, their safety and well-being should be at the forefront of our thoughts as well.”
Singh’s letter noted that two employees in a Foster Farms plant in Louisiana were confirmed positive for COVID-19, further fueling concern among the California workforce.
The letter led to a telephone call between Singh and a Foster Farms human resources representative “that was quite candid,” Singh said. “I don’t think either of us left that call extremely pleased.”
Singh’s letter on behalf of employees both in the Sikh community and workers of Latino or other ethnic groups, sought taping off 6-feet intervals to promote social distancing as employees enter the plants for their shifts.
The group also sought to extend and stagger employee break periods, in order to avoid crowding break rooms beyond social-distance protocols. They also want improved communication in languages besides English for instructions and guidance on how workers can protect themselves from exposure to the virus.
“We have heard from Spanish-speaking families and especially from Punjabi-speaking families about the lack of translations or their inadequacy, the lack of guidance and information provided by supervisors and foremen, and sometimes contradictory messages by supervisors and foremen that contradict instructions from management,” Singh’s letter said.
He added that many older workers or non-English-speaking workers may not have email or be skilled at using text messages to receive alerts from the company.
Brill, responding to questions from The Bee, indicated that the steps noted by Singh have either already been put in place at the plants or soon will be. “These measures have nothing to do with the Jakara Movement,” Brill said. “There’s not a single thing that he asked us to do that is not already in place” or being put in place.
“It takes a certain amount of time,” Brill added. “Some of the materials needed were hard to come by. It took us a couple of weeks to get the kind of high-tech temperature monitoring equipment that we wanted to put in place” for employee screening.
“Foster Farms has closely followed (Centers for Disease Control) guidance and moved rapidly to protect employees from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Brill said by email.
In recent weeks, the company has installed hand-sanitizer stations in the plants and “significantly” increased sanitation and cleaning efforts in employee break areas, as well as stressing social-distancing messages to workers, Brill said.
Singh’s letter to the company said some families worried that if an older worker took a leave, they might lose their job or be replaced. Some workers, he said, “despite age and fear of their health, are continuing to go to work to avoid any citations or termination.”
Brill said that employees age 65 or older, whose age may make them more vulnerable to the virus, and workers with underlying health conditions, are being allowed to take leaves of absence from work. Brill did not specify whether those leaves are paid or unpaid.
At the company’s two Fresno plants on West Belgravia Avenue and South Cherry Avenue, managers this week “began monitoring (for) COVID-19 symptoms – temperature, cough and shortness of breathing – as part of daily wellness checks as employees enter the faciltiies,” Brill said. Such checks were part of health orders issued earlier this month the the Fresno County Department of Public Health.
Brill added that by the end of this week, the company will have distributed face masks to all Fresno employees and is working to ensure an ongoing supply over the coming months.
Tents and tables have been added to expand break areas outside to better accommodate social-distancing measures, “and break times have been staggered where possible,” Brill said. Table dividers in break areas and workspace dividers are being installed, and taped spacing intervals are being used at employee entrances.
Additionally, letters from the company on the coronavirus situation, including an April 3 letter from the company CEO, “are regularly translated into Spanish, Punjabi and Hmong,” he said, and supervisors are making the rounds to plant employees on a weekly basis to discuss COVID-19 while accompanied by translators.
As a poultry producer, “Foster Farms … has been designated an essential part of the national infrastructure,” Brill added, “but we could not meet that responsibility without the continued support and effort of our co-workers.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2020 at 11:54 AM.
