Meat packing workers fired after complaints about lack of COVID-19 precautions to share $264,000

Note: This story has been updated to reflect a corrected size of the settlement payment amount.

More than two dozen workers fired from a Franklin meatpacking plant after complaining about the lack of job site protection from the coronavirus will share $264,000 in a settlement with Strauss Brands, which operates the plant.

Voces de la Frontera, which had organized protests over the firings, announced the settlement, which the union that represents workers at the plant says it negotiated.

 Voces executive director Christine Neumann-Ortiz cited three main points for the outcome.

"The first was the leadership of these workers and their co-workers. Without them, there could have been no change. The second is the dignity and safety that they demanded, for themselves and for their families. And the third is support that we were able to get from the general community," she said.

"We did direct action, we protested, and we made it public."

The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1473, disputes Voces' role in the matter.

"In fact, Voces de la Frontera’s interference actually resulted in the company rescinding the offer on August 5th, which UFCW leadership worked extremely hard to get back for the workers," said Melanie Bartholf, political director for Local 1473.

"Make no mistake, it was due to the hard work of UFCW 1473 leadership and the strength of our collective bargaining agreement that this unprecedented settlement was possible.”

A spokesperson for Strauss Brands did not immediately return a call about the settlement Tuesday.

According to Voces, the money will be distributed among the fired workers based on their length of service with Strauss, more than a decade for most, and as long as 23 years for one. They will get four days' pay for each year worked at Strauss, plus unused vacation pay from this year and 2021.

Some of the fired workers previously told the Journal Sentinel they were considered essential workers by Strauss early in the pandemic, then were suddenly fired. Some said they were told it was because Strauss had learned their Social Security numbers didn't match records.

So-called "no match" letters to employers from the Social Security Administration expressly say they don’t address the immigration status of employees, and warn companies to not take adverse action against workers based solely on receiving them.

In April, Voces de la Frontera had filed a complaint about working conditions at the Franklin plant with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Voces claimed Strauss Brands didn't provide masks to all workers, keep them all separated by six feet, or inform them about suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the staff. 

Maria Perez of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Contact Bruce Vielmetti at (414) 224-2187 or bvielmetti@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ProofHearsay.