For COVID vaccine mandate, Tyson Foods gives sick leave, vacation time

In return for employees’ commitment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Tyson Foods will provide employees with more paid time off.

For the first time, the meat packaging company will grant its employees 20 hours of sick leave annually from January 1st. In addition, the company grants new employees one week of vacation after six months of employment – six months earlier than previously required.

“These measures are the latest examples of our ongoing efforts to make Tyson the most desirable place to work,” said HR officer Johanna Söderström in a statement.

The new benefits come after Tyson announced last month that all employees must have the vaccine from November 1st.

More:State numbers: Hispanic workers had the highest number of coronavirus infections at meat packing plants in Iowa last spring

The company, which has operated vaccine clinics in its factories for months, said 90,000 of its 120,000 employees have received at least their first vaccinations – an increase of about 30,000 since Tyson announced the mandate.

Tyson was one of the first national companies to need the vaccine, and the meat packer was one of the few places that put the mandate on its manufacturing workers. Walmart, another large company with a wide range of employees, has also issued a mandate – but only for the company’s employees who work in its offices.

Tyson operates several pork processing and animal feed plants in Iowa with locations in Columbus Junction, Council Bluffs, Independence, Perry, Storm Lake, and Waterloo. The company employs thousands in its Iowa facilities.

Perry and Waterloo employees are represented by locals from United Food and Commercial Workers. Union leaders met with Tyson executives in Dallas two weeks ago and again this week in St. Louis to negotiate the vaccine mandate. Union officials said the requirement was a “condition of employment” that was subject to labor negotiations.

More:Cattle producers in Iowa are calling on the US Justice and Agriculture departments to investigate the Big Four Meatpackers

UFCW leaders announced their support for Tyson’s announcement.

“This historic agreement helps ensure that policies like paid vacation not only help us increase vaccinations during the pandemic, but are permanent improvements that strengthen these jobs and protect these workers for years to come,” the international said UFCW President Marc Perrone in a statement.

UFCW Local 1149 President Roger Kail, who represents the 1,200 employees at Tyson’s Perry pork factory, said the workers signed a new five-year collective agreement with the company in February. Although the sick pay and new vacation rules are not included in the contract, he said he was confident that Tyson would continue to provide the benefits for years to come. He hopes to negotiate better terms when the contract comes back.

“We will pursue more,” he said. “That’s just our foot in the door with this stuff. Watch out.”

Kail, who also represents JBS Meatpackers in Marshalltown, hopes the UFCW will soon negotiate a similar agreement with the company. He added that Smithfield Foods and Triumph Foods already offer sick pay.

Some Tyson employees are concerned about the effects of the vaccine, and Kail said he still believes they will leave the company during the mandate. The company is already working in Perry with fewer employees than before the pandemic.

In addition to free time, Tyson gives workers $ 200 to get their syringes. In addition, the company takes vaccinated employees into competitions for further prizes.

More:Tyson Foods, with thousands of employees in Iowa, will need COVID-19 vaccinations

Tyler Jett covers jobs and economics for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at tjett@registermedia.com, 515-284-8215, or on Twitter at @LetsJett.

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