By Josh Funk, The Associated Press OMAHA, Neb.— At least 59,000 meatpacking workers caught COVID-19 and 269 workers, including several in Colorado, died when the virus tore through the industry last year, which is significantly more than previously thought, according to a new U.S. House report released Wednesday. The meatpacking industry was one of the […]
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Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, Culture, News
Colorado ranchers already had beef with Jared Polis. Then came “MeatOut Day.”
LIMON — When Kelsey Pope watches her kids doing after-school chores, scattering hay for some of the 1,200 head of Red Angus cattle on their high plains farm, a beef-bashing proclamation from a governor 70 miles away doesn’t feel like a distant nuisance. Colorado’s official embrace of “MeatOut Day” on March 20 feels like a […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Health, News
“We’ll never do as much as he did”: Immigrant meatpacker in Greeley who died from coronavirus left legacy of compassion
By Patty Nieberg, The Associated Press/Report for America GREELEY — Saul Sanchez came to the U.S. from Mexico hoping to save his youngest daughter’s life. What he found was a new life for his family, a boss who volunteered to pay for his daughter’s medical treatment – and a rural Colorado community he loved. He […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Health, News
JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley accused of negligence after COVID-19 outbreak
GREELEY — Two women who were hired to screen employees after a coronavirus outbreak at a Colorado beef plant say the owners did not take screening protocols seriously and were negligent. The two say in affidavits that JBS USA Holdings provided screening equipment that did not function properly, forced employees to pay for coronavirus tests […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Politics and Government
Workers protest $15,615 federal fine for JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley where coronavirus killed six
By Pattie Nieberg, The Associated Press/Report for America A union representing workers at a Colorado meatpacking plant where six workers died of COVID-19 and hundreds more were infected staged a protest Wednesday, claiming that federal officials should have fined the company more for its alleged failure to provide safe working conditions. The JBS USA-owned plant […]
Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, News
A Salvadoran immigrant worked at a Fort Morgan slaughterhouse for 24 years. Coronavirus killed him in 10 days.
FORT MORGAN — On the day coronavirus ended his life, Juan Marin summoned his pride for one last time. Fuerte, his adult children said, using the Spanish word for strong to describe him. They also called him a “party animal.” They called him a hard worker and said he had the calloused hands and tough […]
Posted inCOVID, Health, News
Deaths among Colorado nursing home, senior care center residents hit 529
Coronavirus deaths among Colorado nursing home and senior care residents continue to rise, reaching 529 through Wednesday. The fatalities — an increase of about 100 over the number reported a week ago — represent 57% of the 921 total coronavirus fatalities in the state. Total confirmed and probable infections among nursing home and senior care […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Health, News
JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, site of deadly coronavirus outbreak, reopens
By Thomas Peipert, The Associated Press A major meatpacking plant in Colorado that closed because of a coronavirus outbreak that claimed the lives of four workers is set to reopen Friday after a two-week disinfection, even as some question how employees can maintain social distancing inside the facility to curb the spread of the disease. […]