Tyson Foods Inc., one of the largest U.S. food companies, confirmed that last week that it removed its requirement that employees receive COVID-19 vaccines in order to work.
Tyson, considered the largest American meat company by sales, lifted the mandate several weeks ago, one year after imposing it, according to a report Tyson filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last week. The requirement “generally improved our ability to operate our business effectively in fiscal 2022,” the report said.
“The risk of severe infection has decreased significantly, with many resources readily available including vaccines and boosters, testing, and improved treatment options,” Burleson said.
Tyson had “worked to get the unions’ support to end the requirement, which was achieved,” Burleson told the outlet. He added that Tyson kept other safety protocols like requiring workers to self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms.
Tyson runs slaughterhouses in rural areas where some residents refused to get vaccinated. The company said last year it paid employees $200 to get vaccinated and also compensated workers if they were vaccinated outside normal work hours or away from a Tyson location.
Government Mandates
The Biden administration last year attempted to impose a mandate on all companies that have 100 or more workers, which was ultimately blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court in January 2022.However, the federal government is still maintaining a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for hospitals and health care facilities that receive Medicaid or Medicare funding, and the U.S. military is still requiring the vaccine for service members across all branches. The Supreme Court in January said that U.S. health officials had the authority to impose the mandate on health care workers.
Since the Supreme Court’s ruling, the White House has kept the health care worker mandate intact. The Biden administration has not elaborated on when it would rescind its vaccine mandates.
“In its guidance, CMS will make clear that nursing homes with low vaccination rates will be referred to state survey agencies for close scrutiny, and that facilities that do not comply with the requirement to offer and educate on the benefit of lifesaving COVID-19 vaccinations will face enforcement actions, including the need to submit corrective action plans to achieve compliance,” said the news release.
There is now evidence that “demonstrates that full vaccination doesn’t prevent infection or transmission,” the 22 attorneys general, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, wrote to Health Secretary Xavier Becerra in a Nov. 17 letter.
“The mandate has limited many patients’ access to needed medical care and imposed substantial costs on patients and health care workers without any corresponding benefits. The Biden administration should have never imposed this mandate, and CMS should now throw it in the trash bin where it belongs,” Knudsen, a Republican, said in a statement.
