There has so far been one confirmed case of COVID-19 among the workers at the Cargill plants in Guelph and the union representing workers hopes to avoid the same hardships as those in Alberta, where there are 604 cases linked to a Cargill facility and JBS Foods.
There are two Cargill plants in Guelph, one on Watson Parkway and another on Dunlop Drive, which collectively employ about 1,700 people. The Watson Parkway plant mainly handles final packaging for retail and food services, while the Dunlop Drive plant is a kill facility.
In an email on Friday, Cargill spokesperson Daniel Sullivan said there is one local confirmed case of COVID-19 who is a worker at the Dunlop plant.
“They are receiving appropriate medical care. They are a valued member of our team, and we offer them our support at this difficult time,” said Sullivan.
“As of right now we have been fortunate because only one member has contracted COVID,” said Tim Deelstra, media relations strategist for Locals 175 and 633 of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which represents 70,000 workers in the food processing and retail sectors in Ontario.
“We are very interested in keeping our workers safe, we want to make sure that food continues to be produced, but we also don’t want to see anybody being put in harm's way, so we are being very proactive with the employer groups to put every measure in place that will keep our workers safe, so we can keep the food supply chain moving,” said Deelstra.
He said the Ontario locals do not want to see the same challenges facing the Alberta plants to be mirrored here.
“Like our local in Alberta we are obviously very concerned for our workers,” said Deelstra. “We have been since the beginning of the pandemic and we are trying to take every action that is reasonable to keep them healthy and safe.”
Although the Alberta local is currently requesting changes from the provincial government, Deelstra notes the locals in Ontario are still mostly dealing directly with the employers.
Sullivan said additional safety measures have put in place by Cargill in Guelph, including physical distancing, that breaks are taken apart from one another, temperature checks of workers and dividers at workstations, among other efforts.
Deelstra said his local is mostly satisfied with the measures put in place locally by the company.
“One of the concerns we continue to have is that transportation to the plants is limited,” said Deelstra. “We don’t want people to get sick. We want to find options for them to get to work that will keep them safe and separated.”
“This was also a challenge in Alberta,” he added.
Cargill is also enforcing a mandatory 14-day quarantine for any workers who have tested positive for or been exposed to COVID-19, as well as any team member who may have come in contact with another team member who has tested positive.
“In addition to the health and safety measures mentioned above, we are offering enhanced benefits for our employees, including providing up to 14 days of additional paid leave for COVID-19 related needs,” said Sullivan. "We care deeply about our co-workers and the communities where we live and work.”
Sullivan noted that the plants in Guelph are still operating at capacity.
“We are also sensitive that farmers and ranchers need a place to move their cattle,” said Sullivan. “This is a difficult balancing act facing our entire industry. We’re focused on doing the right thing.”
