Advocates to Hold Vote Vigil for Essential Workers

LINCOLN, Neb. – Advocates and community members will greet state senators as they arrive at the Nebraska State Capitol tomorrow morning, urging them to support the Meatpacking Employees COVID-19 Protection Act. The bill, LB 241, is expected to be debated later that day.

Journalists are invited to cover the vote vigil. Representatives from several partnering community organizations will be available for interviews.

• WHO: Advocates and community members from across the state. Partnering organizations include the ACLU of Nebraska, Heartland Workers Center, Las Voces, Mothers and Others, Nebraska Appleseed, Nebraska State AFL-CIO, Solidarity with Packing Plant Workers and SOMOSgi.
• WHAT: A vote vigil in support of LB 241.
• WHERE: The Nebraska State Capitol. Participants will be near the entrances and sidewalks with signs to greet state senators as they arrive. The event will begin on the east sidewalk.
• WHEN: Thursday, May 6, from 8 to 9 A.M.
• WHY: To ensure essential protections for essential workers.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, more than 7,000 Nebraska meatpacking workers have contracted COVID-19. Hundreds have been hospitalized. At least 28 have died.

LB 241 would establish enforceable basic protections, including masks, socially-distanced common spaces, notice of exposure, and paid leave for illness and quarantine. As healthcare providers continue to distribute the vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have said these safety protocols will continue to be necessary for at least several months.