Tyson Foods announced on Tuesday that 96% of its workforce has been vaccinated for COVID-19.
President and CEO Donnie King released a note to Tyson employees sharing the news that nearly 60,000 employees have been vaccinated since the company announced Aug. 3 it would require all its 120,000 American workers to be vaccinated for COVID by Nov. 1.
“Throughout the pandemic, your health and safety has been our top priority. We have used every tool at our disposal to help keep you safe,” King wrote to employees. “And getting vaccinated is the single most effective tool to protect you, your families, and our communities against the COVID-19 virus.”
United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW) International president Marc Perrone said in a statement, “As the largest union for Tyson workers across the country, UCFW is determined to keep all our members safe from this deadly pandemic, and ensure they are rewarded for their sacrifices. Working together, the UFCW and Tyson set a new standard with this vaccine mandate and have proved what’s possible when we listen to workers and negotiate the implementation of vaccination mandates fairly and responsibly.”
Tyson provided its U.S. workers with free, on-site access to the COVID-19 vaccinations. The company also gave $200 as a thank you to fully vaccinated frontline workers and more than $6 million in sweepstakes to incentivize vaccinations. It also conducted an extensive outreach campaign to educate and inform team members about the COVID-19 vaccinations.
Tyson also said it would provide administrative leave for up to two weeks for employees who are fully vaccinated and test positive for COVID-19 over the next six months, and it compensated workers for time spent in educational sessions about the benefits and risks of the COVID vaccines.
“I have also received many notes from team members who have helped convince others in their family, and in their community, to get vaccinated,” King said in the note to employees. “Wherever you live, if you are one of these people, know that you have made your community safer.”
He said the vaccination mandate has made a difference as the company has seen a significant decline in the number of active COVID cases.
To those employees who remain unvaccinated and chose to leave the company, King said, “this is your choice, and we respect that choice. If you change your mind and want to rejoin Tyson – let us know. Our doors are open.”
