Tyson Foods Says 91% of Workforce Vaccinated After Imposing Mandate

More than 90% of Tyson Foods’ 120,000 employees have been vaccinated after the meat conditioner announced a tenure in early August.

In less than two months, the company has almost doubled the number of its employees vaccinated against Covid-19. The New York Times Dealbook first reported the news.

Tyson office workers are due to be fully immunized by Friday, while factory workers have until November 1. According to the company, 91% of workers have been vaccinated so far, with about the same rate for its employees who work in union factories. Employees received a $ 200 bonus for complying.

Tyson’s vaccine mandate came as new cases of Covid rose in the United States, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates. As companies encouraged workers to get vaccinated, cases began to decline in most states in the United States.

Some companies, like McDonald’s and Walmart, have chosen to impose vaccine mandates only on their staff. United Airlines, which has one of the strictest policies, said on Tuesday that 593 of its employees were threatened with dismissal for failing to meet their mandate. President Joe Biden recently unveiled a plan to increase vaccination rates that would require employers of more than 100 workers to mandate inoculation or weekly testing.

The pandemic has hit the meat packaging industry hard, killing at least 132 workers, union data shows. Conditions in factories force employees to work closely together for hours on end, making social distancing nearly impossible. Group accommodation and shared transport to and from work also increase contact between workers. The epidemics have forced temporary plant closures in some cases.

Tyson shares were down 1% in morning trading. The stock has risen 24% this year, bringing its market value to $ 29 billion.