Union Sues to Block Trump Move to Speed Up Pig Slaughtering
- New USDA guidelines seen as a windfall for pork processors
- Both worker and consumer safety at risk, according to suit
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A food workers’ union filed a federal lawsuit Monday to block a Trump administration move to end limits on the speed of pork slaughter lines, arguing the new rule would lead to more injuries among employees and increase the risk of unsafe pork.
The suit challenges the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s move last month to eliminate maximum speed guidelines that the agency estimated would provide average annual savings of $3.78 million for large plants. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union said in its complaint that the new rule ignored warnings that faster production lines at pork slaughter plants would drive up injury rates.