Tyson Foods has announced that it will be requiring employees to get vaccinated.
Tyson Foods is one of the nation’s largest meat processors and nearly half of their employees are unvaccinated. The unvaccinated are mostly front-line employees.
In the meatpacker’s home state of Arkansas, about 46 percent of the adult population is fully vaccinated. It has plants across the country, including in Georgia, Kansas, Missouri and Texas.
Tyson Foods mandates vaccines for its U.S. work force.
The mandate expands to employees in the office, and in the field. The leadership team must be vaccinated by September 24th, office workers by October 1st, and frontline workers until November 1st.
Tyson is still negotiating with unions which make up about a third of Tyson’s workforce. Union representatives have expressed concerns about mandating a vaccine that is not FDA approved.
Tyson has faced scrutiny in recent months for failing to provide adequate safety regulations for its workers. Tyson representatives have said they spent more than $700 million on face masks, face shields, and on-site testing.