Letter to Blackstone re Packers Sanitation 021723

The letter details systemic labor abuses at Packers Sanitation Services, Inc. (PSSI), including the illegal employment of over 100 children in hazardous roles and a high rate of severe workplace injuries. It argues that Blackstone's financial management—extracting $430 million in dividends while increasing PSSI's debt by $530 million—contributes to these risks. The signatories demand a meeting to discuss risk management and the implementation of ten specific worker protections, including living wages and safe working conditions.

• The US Department of Labor alleged that PSSI employed at least 50 children, aged 13 to 17, in hazardous jobs since August 2022, including cleaning dangerous powered equipment during overnight shifts at meatpacking plants in Nebraska and Minnesota. Subsequent investigations identified more than 100 children illegally employed across thirteen facilities.
• PSSI has a documented history of severe safety failures, including an amputation rate five times higher than the general manufacturing average between January 2015 and September 2016. Since Blackstone's 2018 acquisition, OSHA has investigated at least four amputations and three fatalities, including a 2021 nitrogen leak in Georgia that killed six workers.

APA

Private Equity Stakeholder Project (2023). Letter to Blackstone re Packers Sanitation 021723. https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Letter-to-Blackstone-re-Packers-Sanitation-021723.pdf

Chicago

Private Equity Stakeholder Project. Letter to Blackstone re Packers Sanitation 021723. 2023. https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Letter-to-Blackstone-re-Packers-Sanitation-021723.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Private Equity Stakeholder Project |title=Letter to Blackstone re Packers Sanitation 021723 |date=17 February 2023 |url=https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Letter-to-Blackstone-re-Packers-Sanitation-021723.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{privateequitystakeholderproject2023letter, author = {{Private Equity Stakeholder Project}}, title = {{Letter to Blackstone re Packers Sanitation 021723}}, publisher = {Private Equity Stakeholder Project}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://pestakeholder.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Letter-to-Blackstone-re-Packers-Sanitation-021723.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }