Over 120 Organizations Fight for Workers’ Rights at Largest US Meat Company, Amid Pandemic
Nearly 10,000 employees have tested positive for COVID-19 at Tyson Foods, which kills 2 billion animals every year.
A typical industrial chicken farm. Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
Over 120 organizations have joined together to pressure the meat processor Tyson Foods into implementing essential safety measures for its employees.
Nearly 10,000 Tyson employees across seven states have tested positive for COVID-19, meaning that the infection count stands at more than double that of any other meatpacker.
Tyson has continually failed to safeguard its workers, which has so far seen at least twenty-five employees die from the virus.
Organizations such as The Humane League, Friends of the Earth, and HEAL Food Alliance, are again calling for Tyson to introduce a number of key safety measures, which includes offering paid sick leave, providing workers with personal protective equipment, and slowing down slaughter line speeds.
Tyson is the biggest meat processor in the US, slaughtering over two billion animals every year. It supplies leading grocers, fast food, and restaurant chains, including KFC, Taco Bell, and Walmart.
The lack of workers’ safety at meat plants throughout the pandemic has been exacerbated by Donald Trump’s executive order for the plants to stay open, with critics describing the move as essentially “marching meatpacking workers off to their deaths”.
“Even during a pandemic, Tyson has continued to prioritize profits over worker safety, animal welfare, and public health,” says Taylor Ford, of The Humane League.
“For too long, Tyson has treated both workers and animals as unfeeling commodities, serving the single purpose of supporting its bottom line. The Humane League is proud to stand alongside organizations urging that the industry leader take critical steps to rebuild our broken food system and make meaningful changes for those victimized within its supply chain.”
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The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.