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Pickets say some sick workers not getting full assistance
By Sarah Lysne
Quality Pork Processors employees honked their car horns as they left
work Saturday afternoon, showing support for 20 fellow employees and
friends picketing outside the plant's parking lot.
The pickets gathered to draw attention to workers who they say have been
diagnosed with progressive inflammatory neuropathy but have not yet
received workers' compensation benefits for their medical problems.
The illness was discovered last year among some employees who harvested
pig-brain tissue and some who worked nearby in the Austin plant. PIN
causes neurological symptoms, such as numbness, pain and walking
troubles. After discovery of the illness, QPP in Austin, the Hormel
plant in Fremont, Neb., and Indiana Packers Corp. in Delphi, Ind., all
discontinued using high-pressure air to harvest pig brains.
Medical mystery
Victor Contreras, of Centro Campesino, a migrant workers rights
organization, said, "QPP employees affected by the illness feel like the
disease is still a medical mystery to doctors at the Austin Medical
Center and Mayo Clinic because the treatments they have been given are
not helping."
A fact sheet distributed at the protest states that those infected with
the disease are receiving steroid treatments.
Kelly Wadding, QPP's chief executive officer, said he's been open with
workers, health officials and the news media. Wadding said he was
contacted by Centro Campesino and tried to address the concerns.
A letter released by Centro Campesino states that, "These workers demand
that QPP take full responsibility of the situation and take the
appropriate steps to assure access to workers' compensation benefits for
all the employees affected by the disease."
Worker help
Richard Morgan, president of the United Food and Commercial Workers
Union Local 9 in Austin, said about half of the people diagnosed with
PIN have already begun receiving workers compensation.
"Nobody, to my knowledge, has come forward to us claiming that they've
been mistreated due to this illness," Morgan said. "If they have been,
they need to stop down and tell us. We represent the people that work
there."
Salma Hernandez said, "I am here today for my uncle. He is 38 years old
and has worked at QPP for 18 years. He is suffering from this disease.
He goes to Mayo Clinic, but I have not seen any improvement in his
health."
Edgar Gutierrez-Tapia is not an employee of QPP, but he has friends who
work at the plant. He gathered with other demonstrators on Saturday to
raise awareness of PIN and its effects, he said. Gutierrez-Tapia knows
the company has made changes in the plant to protect employees but, he
said, "The damage has been done."
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