Tyson Foods to require covid-19 vaccinations for U.S. workers; union president pushes back

August 3, 2021 at 3:22 p.m.

by Brianna Kwasnik

FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, file photo, a Tyson Foods, Inc., truck is parked at a food warehouse in Little Rock, Ark. Tyson Foods said Monday, March 6, 2017, a strain of bird flu sickened chickens at a poultry breeder that supplies it with birds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the 73,500 birds at the Lincoln County, Tenn., facility were destroyed and none of the birds from the flock will enter the food system. The H7 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, can be deadly for chickens and turkeys. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)
FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009, file photo, a Tyson Foods, Inc., truck is parked at a food warehouse in Little Rock, Ark. Tyson Foods said Monday, March 6, 2017, a strain of bird flu sickened chickens at a poultry breeder that supplies it with birds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the 73,500 birds at the Lincoln County, Tenn., facility were destroyed and none of the birds from the flock will enter the food system. The H7 strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, can be deadly for chickens and turkeys. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

Tyson Foods is requiring its U.S. workforce to be fully vaccinated against covid-19, the company announced on Tuesday.

All employees in U.S. office locations will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1, with all other members expected to receive the vaccine by Nov. 1, the company announced in a news release.

The company will provide $200 to frontline team members, “subject to ongoing discussions with locations represented by unions,” to support vaccine efforts, the release states. The company has an existing policy of compensating workers for up to four hours of pay if they get vaccinated outside of their normal shift or through an external source, according to the release.

“Getting vaccinated against covid-19 is the single most effective thing we can do to protect our team members, their families and their communities,” Dr. Claudia Coplein, Tyson Foods’ chief medical officer said in the release.

In a statement, United Food and Commercial Workers International President Marc Perrone expressed concerns about the company implementing a mandate before the vaccine was approved by the Federal Drug Administration.

“We believe the FDA must provide full approval of the vaccines and help address some of the questions and concerns that workers have,” he wrote.

“Additionally, employers should provide paid time off so that their essential workers can receive the vaccine without having to sacrifice their pay, and can rest as needed while their body adjusts to the vaccine and strengthens their immune system to fight off the virus,” Perrone said in the release.

United Food and Commercial Workers represents 250,000 meatpacking and food processing workers, including 24,000 Tyson employees.

The union will be meeting with the company in coming weeks to ensure the workers’ rights are protected and the policy is fairly implemented, the release stated.

CORRECTION: In a news release, United Food and Commercial Workers International President Marc Perrone expressed concerns about the company’s mandate. An earlier version of this story misattributed the statement.

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