Cedar Rapids Today

Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker expressed concern for local workers' safety after reading a letter from a manufacturing plant employee who is also a single mother and a Burmese refugee. 

The letter shared that the writer quit her job because workers were so close that they were getting sick. According to Walker, the writer had lupus. 

"I am the only one working," Walker read, according to CBS2Iowa. "But I was afraid I would die if I kept going to work."

Walker called into question what were Linn County officials doing to protect vulnerable workers. He also said that they should not be treated as if they are dispensable.

He brought up the safety of workers previously, especially after the death of two workers who worked at a Tyson Foods in Columbus Junction.

The plant has not been in operation since April 6. In Louisa County, factory workers were 148 of 166 COVID-19 cases.

Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered testing of the factory workers. She also was working with business officials and government leaders to prevent more outbreaks.

Another factory in Tama, Iowa, the Iowa Premium beef plant, stopped production due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Reynolds is working with the 18 major food plants in Iowa to identify procedures and safety measures they can take to protect workers.

“We’re doing all of the above to make sure that we can continue to protect all of our employees but also make sure that we can protect this critical essential infrastructure as well,” Reynolds said, according to CBS2Iowa.

Walker mentioned that the workers economic situation makes it difficult to choose between their health and their finances.

He is working with Cedar Mills companies such as Quaker Oats and General Mills for guidelines and procedures for better health in factory workers.

“If these plants stay down long enough we could very well see interruptions to our food supply chain. And it won't just be our grocery stores impacted. We all know that Iowa is a breadbasket to the entire world," Walker said, according to CBS2Iowa.