Unions Make Case in Challenge to Hog Slaughter Rule (2)

A group of labor unions will try to convince a Minnesota federal court of their legal standing to fight against a new hog slaughter rule they say endangers workers.

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and a group of UFCW locals sued the Agriculture Department in October 2019 after the agency proposed to eliminate maximum speed limits for hog slaughter production lines. The government says faster line speeds could increase line production by 12.5%, and that flexible oversight would lead to better control of pathogens and safer conditions for workers.

The unions want the rule set aside because ...