Tyson accused of misleading performers in virus-infected factory

Photographer: Daniel Acker / Bloomberg

Tyson Foods Inc. is accused of giving incorrect information to interpreters during a Covid-19 outbreak that has infected more than a third of workers at a pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa.

Factory management ordered interpreters to tell large non-English-speaking workforce ‘all is well’ at April meeting, amended complaint filed on behalf of families of four deceased workers . Officials also said county officials “cleaned up” the plant even though the Black Hawk County Health Department urged Tyson to shut down the facility to protect workers instead.

Workers had already tested positive by the time of meetings in early April, with around 1,000 of its 2,800 workers eventually catching the virus, according to the complaint. A plant manager was previously accused of betting on the number of workers who would be infected with the virus. He was then suspended.

Tyson suspends managers accused of Covid betting pool

Tyson declined to comment specifically on the matter, citing an ongoing litigation, but said in an emailed statement the company is working to provide coronavirus training and education in multiple languages, including 20 translators at the plant. of Waterloo.

Tyson and other meat processors have come under fire for their contempt for workers amid the outbreak. Some factories have closed because workers have fallen ill, before President Donald Trump issued an executive order that meat factories remain open.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, close contact between workers in meat processing lines significantly contributed to the risk of exposure while minorities were disproportionately affected by outbreaks in meat factories.

Tyson on November 16 said it had costs of $ 540 million for the last fiscal year directly related to protecting and paying workers and upgrading factories from the virus, and he estimated the costs associated with the virus at 330 million dollars for fiscal year 2021.

– With assistance from Mike Dorning and Steve Stroth

(Updates with company commentary in fourth paragraph)