More than 90% of the Tyson Foods workforce has been vaccinated against COVID, two months after the company issued a vaccine mandate.
Tyson reported that it has nearly doubled the number of workers with vaccinations since it announced in early August that it would be requiring them. The deadline for plant floor workers to receive the vaccine is Nov. 1.
Tyson was the first and, to this point, only major food processor to require vaccinations. About a month after it did so, President Biden announced a mandate for all companies with 100 or more employees to require either vaccinations or weekly COVID testing.
Tyson has struggled during the pandemic, with 39 of its employees dying of COVID, according to one estimate. The company had offered $200 bonuses for vaccinations (which remain in force), but was unsatisfied with the response.
There had been some initial concerns that unions representing Tyson workers wouldn’t go along with the mandate, but these were alleviated. The vaccination rate at unionized and nonunionized Tyson plants is similar, the company reports.
