Tyson Foods Says a Majority of its Workforce is Now Vaccinated Because of This

After imposing a mandate, meatpacking company Tyson Foods has a staggering 91% of its workforce is now vaccinated.

It was in August that the company had said that it would require its 120,000 workers to be vaccinated.

One industry to be hit particularly hard by the Covid-19 pandemic was the meatpacking space, leading to workers’ deaths and the temporary closure of several plants.

The New York Times reported the news of over 90% of Tyson Food’s 120,000 person workforce being vaccinated against the virus.

Tyson’s office workers have to be fully vaccinated by Friday, while plant workers have until Nov. 1st.

It may have also helped fuel motivation to be vaccinated with the company offering a $200 bonus to employees for complying.

Other companies including McDonald’s and Walmart have also opted to impose vaccine mandates but only on their corporate staff.

Airline company United Airlines, which has one of the strictest policies, said Tuesday that 593 of its employees are facing termination for failing to comply with its mandate.

President Joe Biden recently unveiled a plan to increase vaccination rates that would require employers with more than 100 workers to mandate inoculation or weekly testing.
As part of the mandate from Tyson Foods, the company said it will give vaccinated front line workers up to 20 hours of paid sick leave.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union, which helped broker the deal for 26,000 of Tyson’s workers, said paid sick leave is “critical to ensuring workers can get vaccinated without losing a paycheck.”

Before the mandate was announced, less than 50% of Tyson’s workforce was vaccinated, according to the Times.

Shares of Tyson Foods has risen 24% this year, bringing its market value to $29 billion.

Disclaimer: We have no position in any of the companies mentioned and have not been compensated for this article.