Springdale, Ark- To protect your team members, their families, and their communities, Tyson Foods (NYSE: TSN) requires that its employees in U.S. offices be fully vaccinated by October 1, 2021. All other team members must be fully vaccinated by November 1, 2021, subject to ongoing discussions with unions representing certain localities.
This action makes Tyson Foods the largest food company in the U.S. requiring COVID-19 vaccines for its entire workforce. Nearly half of Tyson Foods' U.S. employees have received the vaccine and coronavirus infection rates among team members remain low.
'Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the most effective thing we can do to protect our team members, their families and their communities,' said Dr. Claudia Coplein, Chief Medical Officer of Tyson Foods. 'With a rapidly rising COVID-19 case count of contagious and dangerous variants leading to rising rates of serious illness and hospitalization among the U.S. unauthorized population, this is the right time to take the next step to ensure a fully vaccinated workforce.'
You can find a memo for members of Tyson Foods' Team from President and CHIEF Executive Officer Donnie King here.
Since February, Tyson Foods has hosted more than 100 vaccination events for its team members across the country and more than 56,000 U.S. team members have been vaccinated so far. Additional vaccination events will be scheduled at its facility and the company will continue to collaborate with local health departments and health care providers to make the vaccine more accessible.
To support efforts to fully vaccinate all team members, the company will also provide $200 to members of its frontline team (subject to ongoing discussions with unions representing certain localities). This is an extension of the company's existing policy of compensating workers with up to four hours of regular pay if they are vaccinated outside of their normal shift or through an outside source.
Exceptions to the vaccination mandate shall include workers who seek excuses on medical or religious grounds.
'Tyson Foods and Matrix Medical have worked together since the beginning of this pandemic to develop and implement strategies to mitigate the risk of the virus for Tyson employees and their families, as well as for the communities where they live and work,' said Matrix Medical Director and Group President Dr. Daniel Castillo, M.B.A. 'Matrix clinicians and Tyson team members have worked side by side to implement a wide range of workplace safety measures at Tyson, and we now believe the growing number of new cases in the U.S. warrants advanced clinical strategies, including requiring vaccination.'
To date, Tyson Foods has spent more than $700 million on COVID-19-related issues, including efforts to combat its spread, such as purchasing masks, face shields and temperature scanners, installing protective barriers and providing on-site testing and vaccinations. It also partnered with an independent medical provider to bring medical services to its facilities, hired an additional 200 nurses and its first Chief Medical Officer. In addition, Tyson Foods has spent countless hours educating its team members, in dozens of languages, about the benefits of vaccination against COVID-19.
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world's largest food companies and a recognized leader in the protein industry. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and developed under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands such as Tyson, Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Wright, Aidells, ibp and State Fair. Tyson Foods continuously innovates to turn proteins into more sustainable and personalized foods where it is present and to raise global expectations about the good that food can do.
Headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the company has 139,000 team members. Through its core values, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity, generate value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members, and act as guardian of the animals, lands and environment entrusted to it.
Visit TYSONFOODS.COM for more information.
Contact: Derek Burleson, 479-290-6466
TYSON FOODS, INC. 
