ARLINGTON, Virginia — Tyson Foods, a meat processor, announced Tuesday that it will compel all of its U.S. employees to obtain COVID-19 vaccines, making it one of the first large employers of frontline workers to do so in the wake of the virus’s reappearance.
While vaccination mandates have gained popularity among businesses, many of the companies that have adopted them have primarily office workers who are already generally vaccinated and are hesitant to work with those who aren’t.
Tyson, one of the world’s largest food businesses, has announced that members of its leadership team must be vaccinated by September 24 and the rest of its office staff must be vaccinated by October 1. Its frontline staff must be vaccinated by Nov. 1, according to the business, but the details are still being worked out with unions.
CEO Donnie King voiced concern about the spread of the delta strain in a message to workers, stating that the vaccine mandate was necessary to overcome ongoing aversion to vaccinations.
Tyson, whose trademarks include Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm, has faced lawsuits from the relatives of some of its workers after devastating outbreaks of the virus at its factories. The firm claimed in a news release that the number of illnesses at its factory is now low after spending $700 million on worker safety.
Vaccine requirements for employees are likewise rejected by several unions.
According to recent guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the emergence of the delta variety is driving some employers to reimpose mask regulations for workers, including those who have been vaccinated.
The task committee wants all workers to be vaccinated so that mask regulations might be reduced in the future.
Despite this, stricter vaccination regulations are gaining popularity in restaurants, bars, and certain major entertainment enterprises, both for employees and consumers. Some companies, like the federal government and some state and local governments, are forcing unvaccinated workers to submit to weekly testing, although not as a blanket requirement.
MGM Resorts has held many immunization clinics and provided incentives to employees, such as draws for hotel stays and cash. However, in a letter to workers, President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle voiced his displeasure with the region’s low immunization rate and urged them to obtain the vaccinations.
Hornbuckle stated, “Our region’s poor vaccination rate is putting us back on the path to overcrowded hospitals, avoidable deaths, fewer tourists, and possibly furloughs and layoffs.” “That is something none of us desire.”