Tyson Fires Seven After Probe Into Virus Betting Charges

Monday, December 21, 2020 | 0

Tyson Foods plans to terminate seven employees, one month after allegations surfaced that managers at an Iowa meatpacking plant took bets on how many workers would fall ill from the coronavirus.

Tyson "took immediate and appropriate action to get to the truth. Now that the investigation has concluded, we are taking action based on the findings,” CEO Dean Banks said Wednesday, according to USA Today and local news outlets.

Reports that plant managers created a COVID-19 betting pool were brought to light in November after families of deceased line workers filed negligence lawsuits against the meat-processing giant. Tyson suspended seven supervisors and hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate.

"We can tell you that Mr. Holder and his team looked specifically at the gaming allegations and found sufficient evidence for us to terminate those involved," a company spokesman said.

Tyson did not release the names of the officials who were terminated.

The news of the betting allegations came after dozens of workers around the country died as meat production continued during the pandemic. At Tyson's Waterloo, Iowa, plant, more than 1,000 of its 2,800 workers tested positive for the virus in the early months of the contagion.

Tyson and other meat companies have faced many workers' compensation claims from employees who have been sickened or killed by the virus this year. Tyson said it followed federal virus safety protocols, but some workers said they were not well-protected.

The company last week also announced that it hired a chief medical officer to focus on COVID-19 safety and employee health.