FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 4, 2025
Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259
STATEMENT ON THE AMERICAN PROTEIN PROCESSING MODERNIZATION ACT
(WASHINGTON, DC) – Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01), recently introduced the American Protein Processing Modernization Act, which would provide a permanent framework to increase poultry and pork line speeds, a clear danger to workers and America’s food supply. Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents over 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern United States, as well as meatpacking and processing workers in other parts of the country issued the following statement:
“Once again, we are seeing a push by industry groups to prioritize profit and production over the health and safety of workers on the frontlines of America’s food supply chain. The ‘American Protein Processing Modernization Act’ is nothing more than a green-light for poultry and meat processing companies to run even faster line speeds, ignoring years of evidence that increased speeds endanger workers and compromise food safety. If companies want to move faster, they should move faster to protect their workers, not to squeeze more profit out of them.
“Workers in poultry and meat processing plants already face some of the most dangerous conditions in the country, with high injury rates, repetitive stress disorders, and exposure to hazardous conditions. Faster line speeds mean fewer precious seconds to work safely, meaning greater risk of cuts, slips, and other serious injuries, and not to mention less time to ensure food safety.
“We cannot allow corporations and politicians to roll back protections under the guise of ‘competitiveness.’ True modernization should mean investing in worker safety, stronger enforcement of labor standards, and ensuring our food system is both safe and sustainable.
“The RWDSU will continue to fight alongside workers to oppose this legislation and to demand a food system that values people over profits.”
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The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) represents 100,000 members throughout the United States. The RWDSU is affiliated with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). For more information, please visit our website at www.rwdsu.org, Facebook:/RWDSU.UFCW Twitter:@RWDSU.