Smithfield Foods workers walk out after employee death in Illinois

Approximately 100 workers at a Smithfield Foods pork plant in Monmouth, Illinois, staged a walkout following the death of a colleague. The deceased, identified as 44-year-old maintenance employee Patou Mpinda, died around 2:30 a.m. during an overnight shift. A county coroner has indicated the death appears to be work-related, though a final ruling is pending.

Employees reported arriving for their shifts after being notified of a “late start” via text message, only to discover a coworker had died. Tensions rose when workers claimed management initially ordered production to continue as normal despite the incident. While Smithfield Foods later stated that employees were given the option to leave without penalty and expressed that they were “deeply saddened” by the death, workers described a scene of significant distress and confrontation with plant management.

This incident follows previous safety citations at the facility. In February, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited the Monmouth plant for serious lockout-tagout violations involving amputation risks. The company has also previously faced penalties related to a fatal fall at another Smithfield facility in North Carolina.