It’s not a pork processing plant this time. It’s not even a beef or chicken processing plant. This time it is a sausage processing plant in West Dallas that finds itself under investigation after a community activist brought attention to the fact that after an outbreak of the coronavirus sickened employees, production was increased instead of shutting down. Two workers, both in their 30s have died. A community activist has gotten involved on behalf of the workers.

Quality Sausage Company’s West Dallas plant closed last Friday. On Monday the company said the plant would remain closed pending a review of procedures to protect the health and safety of employees.” Safety measures being adopted include “employee testing and temperature monitoring, daily cleanings, the addition of hand sanitizing stations, and employee face coverings.”

“During this pause in production, all employees will continue to be paid. We also expect no disruption in supplying products to our customers at this time, based on current inventory,” the company’s statement said. “As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s knowledge about the virus has increased, we have adapted our procedures to reflect updated health and safety guidance.”

Tuesday a community activist stepped in and did a press conference after he said workers reached out to him. Carlos Quintanilla claims the company should have shut down to handle the virus outbreak. Also, the plant should have been transparent and disclosed the problem to the public. Quintanilla was joined by family members of the two workers who have died. The partner of one worker who died on April 25 said the company knew he was sick but insisted he return to work. Another worker died on April 24. Dozens of employees are now under quarantine while they await test results. “They went to work sick. And this company allowed them to work instead of saying, ‘We’re going to close down,’” he said.

Now Dallas County is investigating the positive COVID-19 cases at the plant. The company is also in a federal whistleblower lawsuit. A former plant manager lodged some disturbing complaints. He accuses the company of unsanitary work conditions, using vinegar to mask moldy meat, violations of federal food safety practices, and of employing a workforce built on three-quarters of the workers being undocumented immigrants provided by a staffing agency. The plant has 270 workers. Other than that, everything is fine.

Lam Van “Tommy” Nguyen filed his whistleblower lawsuit in February 2019. Nguyen worked as a plant superintendent from November 2016 to March 2018. One reason for his complaint is the practice he saw of workers “cross-contaminating meats in grinding vats.” The lawsuit clarifies that claim by saying, “In other words, chicken was ground in a vat, and then pork was ground in the same vat (or vice versa) but without proper sanitizing between grindings.” Nguyen was fired on March 5, 2018. He says it was in retaliation for speaking out against hiring practices and food safety problems.

County health officials are looking into the claims against the plant. Quintanilla says working at the plant is hazardous to the workers. Workers were being told to continuing working even after signs of the virus became apparent in some employees. “They put production and profits before the safety of their workers,” Quintanilla said. “They had to deliver the product. They had to finish.”

Quality Sausage Co. doesn’t expect a disruption in supplying its products to customers. Among other products, the company provides meats for pizza toppings.

“We have taken this action as a way to help protect the health and safety of our team members and expect to conclude our review during the week of April 27,” the company said in a statement. “During this pause in production, all employees will continue to be paid. We also expect no disruption in supplying products to our customers at this time, based on current inventory.”

Another prepared foods plant closed last week for 14 days. A Mexican prepared foods maker, Don Miguel Foods, has an unspecified number of employees who tested positive for COVID-19. The plant has 700 workers who will all be paid during the shutdown, including benefits. The company makes tacos, burritos, chimichangas and other Mexican prepared foods for retail and food service outlets. It expects to resume production May 4. It is a subsidiary of MegaMex Foods Corp., which is a joint venture between Hormel Foods Corp. and Mexico City-based Herdez Del Fuerte.

On Tuesday, Trump used the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing plants as critical infrastructure in order to halt the potential of meat shortages. Many meat processing workers say they will not return to work despite the order.

However, many employees claim the order puts their lives at stake due to unsafe conditions, a lack of protective equipment and outbreaks that led the nation’s three largest facilities shut down.

‘All I know is, this is crazy to me, because I can’t see all these people going back into work,’ Donald who works at Tyson’s Waterloo, Iowa facility said to CNN. ‘I don’t think people are going to go back in there.’

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union estimated on Tuesday that 20 meatpacking and food processing workers have died from the virus and some 6,500 are sick or have been exposed through the workplace.

The union, which represents 1.3million food and retail workers, says at least 13 processing plants have been closed over the past two months.

That’s a problem for plant operators. If workers refuse to come back to work then new workers will have to be hired and trained. As one worker said, ‘I’m still trying to figure out: What is he going to do, force them to stay open? Force people to go to work?’ Others who were more agreeable to the president’s signing of the order also expressed concerns. The union bosses aren’t in favor of ordering workers back to work.

‘All in all, it can be a good thing if done right. But my faith in this administration has never been strong and is nonexistent currently. I wanna know what these added ‘liability protections’ are going to be,’ the person said.

An employee at Tyson’s Independence, Iowa plant said, ‘I just don’t know how they’re going to do it when there are people dying and getting really sick. Who’s to say people are even gonna show up to work?’

In Illinois a Smithfield pork plant in Monmouth closed after a ‘small portion’ of its 1,700 employees caught the virus, but officials say they can’t follow the president’s order if workers are still ill.

Monmouth Mayor Rod Davies said to the Chicago Tribune: ‘I certainly appreciate what the president is trying to do, but it will be a difficult challenge to make that happen when we have a certain number of people who are sick and people around those individuals who are sick.’

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union has condemned the president’s order saying it puts worker’s at risk.

Like everything else, a switch won’t be flipped and everything goes back to normal. Employers and employees are going to have to work together to keep everyone healthy and provide safe working environments while this pandemic is with us. Is this one of the industries that illegal immigrants are hired and the law-breaking by the employers is justified by saying the workers are doing jobs that legal American residents won’t do? If so, maybe it’s time for that to be corrected, too.