Tyson to Require Vaccination for Employees

Tyson announced on Tuesday that it will require its 120,000 U.S. employees to be vaccinated fully this year and also that they intend to pay those that do so a $200 bonus. The company said that 56,000 of its current employees have been vaccinated. This vaccination requirement has an October 1st deadline for office workers while plant employees have until November 1st. Donnie King, CEO of Tyson is quoted saying, “It is abundantly clear that getting vaccinated is the single most effective thing we can do to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities.” Tyson plans to give this $200 bonus in addition to the current policy of providing up to 4 hours of pay for getting inoculated outside of work or through an external provider. Work conditions for some plant employees requires that, for hours at a time, they work closely together making social distancing nearly impossible. This extra pay, as well as the deadline, are subject to talks with unions who represent those employees.