FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 17, 2026

Contact: Chelsea Connor | cconnor@rwdsu.org | 347-866-6259

STATEMENT ON USDA’S PROPOSED ROLLBACK OF LINE SPEED PROTECTIONS

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, the USDA announced proposed updates to federal line speed regulations in poultry and pork establishments. 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:

“Today’s announcement by the USDA is a dangerous step that puts corporate profits over the lives and safety of the essential workers who keep our food supply chain running. By proposing to permanently increase line speeds and remove critical worker safety oversight, the USDA is knowingly inviting a surge in workplace injuries and fatalities in an industry that is already among the most hazardous in the country.

“Increasing line speeds in poultry and pork plants is a recipe for disaster. We know from decades of experience that faster line speeds lead directly to more repetitive motion injuries, more amputations, and more life-altering accidents. Forcing workers to keep pace with ever-accelerating machinery doesn’t just endanger the people on the line, it also compromises the safety of the food on our tables – no question.

“The decision to strip away worker safety under the guise of ‘cutting red tape’ is nothing more than a blatant attempt to silence the voices of workers and consumers. This isn't about lowering food costs; it’s about allowing massive processing corporations to squeeze every last drop of productivity out of human beings regardless of the physical cost.

“The RWDSU has fought for years to ensure that poultry and meatpacking workers are treated with the dignity and protection they deserve. We will not stand by while the USDA turns the clock back to the era of industrial exploitation. We will use every tool at our disposal, beginning with the public comment process, to fight these reckless changes and protect the health and safety of our members and all food processing workers.”

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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, Instagram: @rwdsustrong.