By Kassidy Arena, Iowa Public Radio News
Tyson Foods is firing seven employees at its pork processing plant in Waterloo. They were the subject of an investigation into managers and supervisors placing bets on how many workers would contract the coronavirus.
The allegations were made in a wrongful death lawsuit involving the Waterloo plant filed by families of workers who had died of COVID-19.
Tyson suspended the managers without pay last month a day after the lawsuit was brought to light. Tyson then hired former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct an independent investigation.
The alleged wagering happened last spring. About 1,000 of the plant’s 2,800 workers tested positive for COVID-19 in May.
In a statement, Tyson’s president and CEO Dean Banks said the company took “appropriate action.”
“The behaviors exhibited by these individuals do not represent the Tyson core values,” Banks said in the written statement.
It also promised to strengthen communication channels with plant workers, and bolster collaboration with the surrounding community. It said Tyson has continued its partnership with Holder to “look for ways to enhance a trusting and respectful workplace.”
The lawsuit against Tyson Foods further alleges more accounts of an unsafe work environment at the Waterloo facility.
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