A meatpacking union representing 24,000 Tyson Foods workers is concerned over the new Tyson vaccine mandate.
United Food and Commercial Workers International President Marc Perrone says, “While we support and encourage workers getting vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus…it is concerning that Tyson is implementing this mandate before the FDA has fully approved the vaccine."
The union urged all frontline businesses to negotiate vaccine policies directly with their frontline workers and provide paid vaccine leave so that workers can get vaccinated without worrying about losing a paycheck. Tyson provides a $200 bonus for workers to get vaccinated and up to four hours of pay for getting vaccinated outside of work or through an external provider. Roughly 56,000 of Tyson‘s 120,000 employees are vaccinated.
Office workers face a deadline of October 1 to be vaccinated fully, while plant employees have until November 1. Since February, Tyson Foods has hosted more than 100 vaccination events for employees.