FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 11, 2024
Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259
RWDSU STATEMENT ON OSHA’S WEAK PENALTY IN CHRISTMAS 2024 TYSON CAMILLA PLANT EXPLOSION
(CAMILLA, GA) – Yesterday, The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) finally announced the outcome of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) six-month long investigation into the shocking Christmas boiler explosion at Tyson’s Camilla, Georgia poultry plant, where workers are represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), issuing a citation and meager fine of $16,550.
Stuart Appelbaum, President of the RWDSU, which represents over 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern United States and Edgar Fields, Vice President of RWDSU and President of the Southeast Council of the RWDSU, which represents this plant, issued the following joint statement:
“What we’ve learned today is that Tyson Foods was in fact at fault for our member’s near life ending injuries, but a worker's life can never be monetarily valued, and it certainly cannot be valued at a few thousand dollars. OSHA’s decision to issue only modest fines in the wake of the devastating boiler explosion at Tyson’s Camilla, Georgia poultry plant is the true embodiment of a broken system that lacks the teeth to protect workers.
“For a multibillion-dollar corporation like Tyson, this fine is barely a drop in the bucket. Despite the gravity of the explosion and the clear danger to workers. It sends a dangerous message: that even catastrophic failures in worker safety can be brushed aside without meaningful consequence.
“The only thing made clear today is that OSHA lacks the power, urgency, and resources needed to truly hold large corporations accountable. It took over six-months for this decision to be issued, leaving our members, their families, and the Camilla community waiting far too long for answers and accountability. And even now, they are left with neither.
“RWDSU members at the Camilla facility and across the poultry industry deserve real safety protections, real enforcement, and real respect for their lives and labor. We demand stronger standards to prevent future tragedies, timely investigations and real penalties that match the scale of the harm done.”
The Southeast Council of the RWDSU represents about 1,600 workers at the bargaining table at this Tyson facility in Camilla, Georgia. The RWDSU represents over 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern United States, which includes workers at other Tyson facilities.
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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.