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“I’m very nervous,” said Nornalio Tolosa, 41, as he stopped to accept free cloth masks from the union, emblazoned with the words “Safety First.”
The union is seeking a stop-work order against Cargill. Hearings before the Labour Relations Board began on the weekend and were continuing even as the plant re-opened.
“I have tested negative for the virus but I feel like it’s just a matter of time,” said Tolosa, the father of two teenagers.
Had he ever received a mask from Cargill, even after the first case of COVID-19 presented itself on April 6?
“They’ve never given me a mask,” he said. “Only the managers wore a proper mask, which made us all worry even more. We saw people not showing up for work and we heard they were sick with the virus. Then the managers started wearing masks and face shields but the workers got nothing,” said the nine-year employee who works on what is officially called the harvest floor, but staff colloquially call the kill floor.
