Tyson announces investigation into unsafe work environment claims

Lawsuit alleges supervisors wagered on how many employees would contract COVID-19

Tyson Foods, Inc. has announced that it will be investigating claims in a recent lawsuit that supervisors at its Waterloo, Iowa pork plant wagered on how many employees would contract COVID-19 and forced employees to come to work even when they were showing possible symptoms.

The lawsuit alleges that managers failed to take steps to protect workers, canceled safety meetings and told supervisors to deny the existence of positive cases in the plant. A plant manager is also accused of organizing a betting pool for supervisors and managers to wager on how many plant employees would test positive for COVID-19.

In response to the allegations, Tyson announced that it has suspended the accused individuals without pay and has hired the law firm Covington & Burlington LLP to conduct an independent investigation, led by former United States Attorney General Eric Holder.

“We expect every team member at Tyson Foods to operate with the utmost integrity and care in everything we do,” says Tyson Foods President & CEO Dean Banks. “If these claims are confirmed, we’ll take all measures necessary to root out and remove this disturbing behavior from our company.”

KEYWORDS: worker safety

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Casey Laughman is the former Editor in Chief of Food Engineering magazine. He has almost two decades’ experience as a writer and editor for mainstream and trade publications. He spent several years as a writer and editor for two news services before becoming the editor of a legal publication and managing editor of a trade magazine that covered the commercial facilities market.