One of the nation’s largest food producers fired seven plant management employees after allegations of wagering over COVID-19 infections were discovered.
Tyson Foods fired seven plant managers from their Waterloo, Iowa, pork plant following an investigation into a wagering ring, the company announced Wednesday.
The seven employees would wager money on how many workers at the plant would get sick from coronavirus, according to NPR. (RELATED: French President Emmanuel Macron Tests Positive For Coronavirus)
Tyson Foods said it fired seven managers of an Iowa meatpacking plant following the company’s investigation into allegations that they had wagered on Covid-19 infections among employees https://t.co/4fTW5BMbIe
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) December 16, 2020
“We value our people and expect everyone on the team, especially our leaders, to operate with integrity and care in everything we do,” Tyson Foods President and CEO Dean Banks said in a statement. “The behaviors exhibited by these individuals do not represent the Tyson core values.”
Banks and others from Tyson went to the plant in November and on Wednesday to meet with local leaders to “reinforce Tyson’s commitment to them and the community.”
The company launched an independent investigation in November, led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, after a lawsuit was filed against Tyson.
The company initially suspended the seven employees without pay in a statement issued Nov. 19, with Banks stating that the company was “extremely upset about the accusations involving some of the leadership at our Waterloo plant.”
Tyson Foods initially closed their processing centers in April during the first wave of the coronavirus outbreak, warning that the food supply chain was “breaking” at the time.