Author: Johnni Lopez

Meatpacking workers, already working in hazardous conditions, faced a high risk of COVID-19 infection during the pandemic. Photo courtesy of U.S. General Accountability Office.When the divided Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Tim Walz came to a $500 milion agreement on compensating frontline workers for putting their health at risk during the pandemic, they estimated that 667,000 eligibible workers would apply. That meant each worker — among them child care workers, prison guards, meat processors, etc. — would receive $750. Nearly 1 million workers have applied and are not currently subject to denial, which means the total amount per worker will be…