U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan, Madison, (WI-02) and Greg Casar (TX-35) introduced the Food Worker Pay Standards Act, which would require the federal government to purchase food produced by workers who earn fair pay and benefits.
The bill would direct the Secretary of Labor to use local wages and benefits for food production workers in conjunction with local collective bargaining agreements to establish a regional prevailing wage and would prevent the federal government from purchasing food produced by workers paid less than those prevailing rates. This standard would apply to meat, meat food product, poultry, poultry food product, and processed food workers.
State and federal prevailing wage laws are common in construction and other industries. They sometimes come under criticism for raising the costs of publicly-funded projects.
“The federal government should not be in the business of rewarding companies with taxpayer-funded contracts if they aren’t adequately paying or protecting their workers,” said Rep. Mark Pocan. “Food processing is one of our country’s most dangerous industries and one that relies heavily on workers from marginalized communities. The time is long overdue to protect these vulnerable workers with federal guardrails. This bill tells food processing companies that the government is only willing to work with businesses that put workers first. Anything less will not be funded by the American people.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the food processing industry has a significantly higher illness and injury rate than other industries and than other manufacturing. Food processing plants came under scrutiny during the COVID-19 pandemic after illness outbreaks at a number of plants.
Wisconsin food processors employ nearly 70,000 people.
