(ETH) – Tyson Foods will require all of its employees in the U.S. to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus according to a recent report from Axios. The move makes Tyson Foods the largest U.S. food company — with 139,000 team members — to require vaccinations among all its employees.
According to CBS News, Senior corporate executives at Tyson must be vaccinated by September 24, in-office workers by October 1, and all other employees by November 1, the company announced Tuesday. Less than half, or more than 56,000, of Tyson workers, have been vaccinated, according to the company.
Tyson is offering $200 to frontline workers who get vaccinated as part of its effort to fully vaccinate its workforce, according to the company, whose brands include Ball Park, Jimmy Dean, and Hillshire Farm.
Plagued by outbreaks, labor shortages, and absenteeism due to COVID-19, Tyson, and competitors in the meat industry have struggled to get their hundreds of thousands of employees immunized. They’ve also dealt with workers dying of COVID-19 and face lawsuits filed by some families alleging that the company failed to take adequate measures to protect employees.
