Tyson Foods

Tyson Foods is the world’s second largest producer of chicken, beef, and pork. Based in Springdale, AZ, Tyson Foods operates major brands such as Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, and Wright Brand. Tyson Foods employs around 122,000 people and in 2018 ranked 80th on the Fortune 500 list for total revenue, raking in more than $40 billion dollars.

• The meatpacking industry has always had a notorious reputation for poor working conditions and Covid-19 has only made this more apparent. Currently meat and poultry employees have among the highest illness rates of all manufacturing employees and are the least likely to report said illnesses for fear of repercussions.
• During Covid-19, Tyson actually implemented faster line speeds at meat processing plants, forcing workers to stand even closer together, often shoulder to shoulder, when Coronavirus was already rampaging through their facilities. Furthermore, Tyson, a billion dollar company, struggled for weeks to secure any sort of PPE equipment for their workers, leaving employees completely vulnerable.
• Tyson has also announced they are giving out $500 bonuses to frontline workers, which is wonderful, except eligibility for the bonus does depend on attendance. For example, at the Tyson plant in Camilla, the company offered its 2,100 workers a $500 bonus if they worked in April, May and June without missing a single day. As a result, many workers felt encouraged to come to work sick as they wanted to meet the attendance policy for the bonus.
• Recently, Tyson has implemented protective barriers between workers and has increased it’s short term disability leave to cover 90% of an employees normal pay if an employee is being treated for Coronavirus.