Tyson Fires 7 at Iowa Pork Plant After COVID-19 Betting Inquiry
Iowa City, Iowa – Tyson Foods fired seven top managers at its largest pork plant after an independent investigation confirmed allegations that they bet on how many workers would test positive for the coronavirus.
The company said the investigation, led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, revealed troubling behavior that resulted in the firings at the plant in Waterloo, Iowa. An outbreak centered around the plant infected more than 1,000 employees, at least six of whom died.
“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 behavior exhibited by these individuals does not represent the Tyson core values, which is why we took immediate and appropriate action to get to the truth.”
Banks traveled to the Waterloo plant last Wednesday to discuss the actions with employees. Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said the company will not release detailed findings of the investigation or the names of those fired, citing privacy concerns. Tyson suspended several top officials last month and retained the law firm Covington & Burling LLP, where Holder is a partner, to conduct the investigation.
Former maintenance manager Cody Brustkern said he cooperated with the investigation but was fired from his job of 10 years last Tuesday night without explanation. He said executives were “protecting their brand” over their longtime managers.
“The way this was handled was very disappointing,” Brustkern said. “I still don’t know why I was fired. It’s crazy.”
Lawyers for the families of four deceased Waterloo workers allege in lawsuits that plant manager Tom Hart organized a buy-in betting pool for supervisors to wager on what percentage of plant workers would test positive for COVID-19. Hart allegedly organized the pool last spring as the virus spread through the Waterloo plant and the broader community.
A former supervisor described the wager to the plaintiffs’ lawyers, saying he and nine others each put $10 into the pool while mass testing of workers took place. The winner who pulled a piece of paper with the correct percentage out of a hat got the $100 payout. The lawsuits allege plant managers pressured employees to keep working, even through sickness, and that the company waited too long to shut down the plant.
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