Many ransomware attacks go unreported. The FBI and Congress want to change that
Ransomware attacks have emerged in the past few months as a major risk for American companies and institutions like schools, hospitals and even city governments. Hackers can use methods as simple as a phishing email attack to steal data and lock the computer owner out of their system, then demand a ransom. Recent high-profile attacks on the Colonial Pipeline system that prompted a run on gas all along the U.S. East Coast in March, and another hit on meat producer JBS have put pressure on politicians to react.
washingtonpost.comUnion says meatpacking workers should be vaccinated sooner
But in most states, meatpacking workers are still waiting for their turn to be vaccinated and are ranked behind health care workers, residents of long-term care centers and people aged 65 and older. Marc Perrone, UCFW president, argues that meatpacking workers, grocery store employees and other essential workers should be vaccinated ahead of older people who don’t have other health conditions. In a recent union survey that also included grocery and other food production workers, 70% of respondents said they want to be vaccinated. The UFCW, which represents roughly 80% of the nation’s beef and pork workers and 33% of its poultry workers, estimates that at least 21,900 meatpacking workers have been infected or exposed, and 132 have died of COVID-19. “Meatpacking workers like me are still facing risks every day.”___Associated Press writer Stephen Groves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, contributed to this report.
Stimulus deal could block lawsuits over COVID-19 deaths of workers
Protection from litigation over COVID-19 has been a priority for business groups and their allies in Congress since the spring. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents thousands of businesses around the country, that same month described worker lawsuits as its top concern. Only a handful of worker lawsuits have been filed, according to law firm Hunter Andrews Kurth, which tracks COVID-19 complaints. Because lawsuits are costly and plaintiffs' lawyers only get paid if they win, few frivolous cases are brought, they say. Another suit against a major meat producer accuses management at a Tyson plant in Iowa of lying to workers about the number of coronavirus cases in the plant while betting money on how many workers would contract the virus.
cbsnews.comStimulus deal could block lawsuits over COVID-19 deaths of workers
Protection from litigation over COVID-19 has been a priority for business groups and their allies in Congress since the spring. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which represents thousands of businesses around the country, that same month described worker lawsuits as its top concern. Only a handful of worker lawsuits have been filed, according to law firm Hunter Andrews Kurth, which tracks COVID-19 complaints. Because lawsuits are costly and plaintiffs' lawyers only get paid if they win, few frivolous cases are brought, they say. Another suit against a major meat producer accuses management at a Tyson plant in Iowa of lying to workers about the number of coronavirus cases in the plant while betting money on how many workers would contract the virus.
cbsnews.comWorker advocates file meat plants discrimination complaint
A group of worker advocacy organizations has filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging that meat processing companies Tyson and JBS have engaged in workplace racial discrimination during the coronavirus pandemic. The complaint alleges the companies adopted polices that reject U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on distancing and protective gear on meat processing lines. The complaint says the operating procedures have a discriminatory impact on mostly Black, Latino, and Asian workers. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, file)Several worker advocacy organizations have filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging that meat processing companies Tyson and JBS have engaged in racial discrimination during the coronavirus pandemic. Tyson has received more than $109 million from USDA programs this year and JBS more than $45 million, the complaint said.
Meatpacking safety recommendations are largely unenforceable
FILE - In this May 7, 2020, file photo, workers leave the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Logansport, Ind. Federal recommendations meant to keep meatpacking workers safe as they return to plants that were shuttered by the coronavirus have little enforcement muscle behind them, fueling anxiety that working conditions could put employees' lives at risk. Major meatpackers JBS, Smithfield and Tyson have said worker safety is their highest priority. The pandemic is the most massive workers safety crisis in many decades, and OSHA is in the closet. After Trump's executive order developed with input from the industry the Labor Department and OSHA said OSHA would use discretion and consider good faith attempts to follow safety recommendations.