Tyson Foods to require COVID vaccination for its U.S. workers


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Tyson Foods to require COVID vaccination for its U.S. workers

Tyson Foods says it will require all of its 120-thousand workers in the U.S. to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by November first.

Tyson CEO Donnie King, in a memo to workers, said with the new more contagious and deadly COVID-19 variants, getting vaccinated is the “single most effective thing” they can do to protect workers, their families and communities.

But, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union which represents 24-thousand Tyson meatpacking workers in the U.S. says it has concerns about the mandate and will be meeting with Tyson officials in the coming weeks.

The union says it’s concerning that Tyson is implementing the mandate before the FDA has fully approved the vaccine and has not negotiated with workers about the new policy. The union says it encourages workers to get vaccinated but says they should be given paid time off to receive it and while they adjust to the vaccine.