Company to pay team members for time taken to be vaccinated off-site or outside of normal shift
Springdale, Ark. – February 17, 2021 – Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN), is providing an additional incentive for frontline workers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The company, which already offers free, on-site COVID-19 vaccinations at its U.S. plants, consistent with prioritization regulations and as vaccine supplies become available, has announced it will also compensate workers for up to four hours of regular pay if they are vaccinated outside of their normal shift or through an external source.
Several hundred Tyson Foods team members, mostly health service staff and workers over the age of 65, have already been vaccinated. The company expects about 1,000 frontline workers in Illinois, Missouri and Virginia will be vaccinated this week and is prepared to provide free access at other locations across the country as more doses of the vaccine are made available.
Tyson Foods is partnering with Matrix Medical Network to educate the company’s 120,000 U.S. team members about the vaccines and is working with local and state health officials as well as approved vaccine providers to access doses, pursuant to prioritization regulations. Vaccinations for Tyson Foods team members are voluntary, but highly encouraged.
“I appreciate the company’s efforts to secure vaccines for us,” said Tim Adams, who works at the company’s Wilkesboro complex and has been employed with Tyson for 47 years. “I’m in a high-risk category due to my health, so for me it was an easy decision to get vaccinated. It’s the next logical step in keeping myself and those around me healthy and safe.”
Associated Press Link to Photos of Vaccinations at Tyson Foods’ Wilkesboro, NC, Poultry Plant.
“This incentive is an additional way we can encourage our frontline workers to receive the vaccination, which we believe is another important protective measure,” said Johanna Söderström, executive vice president and chief human resources officer for Tyson Foods. “We’re ready to vaccinate more of our people, especially through the free, on-site vaccination program we’ve developed, however, vaccine availability continues to vary by state.”
Providing workers access to the vaccine is latest in a series of measures Tyson Foods has taken to fight COVID-19. Since the spring of 2020, the company invested hundreds of millions of dollars to transform its U.S. facilities with protective measures, from walk-through temperature scanners and workstation dividers to social distance monitors and always-on testing, as well as provide additional team member pay and benefits. Tyson Foods has also expanded its health services staff, added a chief medical officer and plans to pilot health clinics for team members and their families early this year.
Tyson Foods reports that it continues to experience success in its efforts to protect workers from the virus. The incidence of the virus involving the company’s U.S. team members remains low.
About Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) is one of the world’s largest food companies and a recognized leader in protein. Founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson and grown under three generations of family leadership, the company has a broad portfolio of products and brands like Tyson®, Jimmy Dean®, Hillshire Farm®, Ball Park®, Wright®, Aidells®, ibp®, and State Fair®. Tyson Foods innovates continually to make protein more sustainable, tailor food for everywhere it’s available and raise the world’s expectations for how much good 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, create value for its shareholders, customers, communities and team members and serve as a steward of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it. Visit TYSONFOODS.COM to learn more.
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Media contact: Derek Burleson, 479-290-6466