A lawsuit filed in March 2023 by 34 former Tyson Foods employees accuses the company of failing to protect them from Covid-19, resulting in widespread illness and over 269 deaths. The plaintiffs allege Tyson manipulated data about Covid cases to maintain production levels. The meatpacking workforce, comprised largely of immigrants, faces barriers due to Arkansas's limited-liability laws. Despite these challenges, workers are uniting to confront the industry's injustices, chronicled in Alice Driver's book, which details their struggles and resilience in this hazardous environment.
In March of 2023, 34 former employees of Tyson Foods and their families filed a lawsuit against the company, arguing that its failure to take sufficient precautions to protect them from exposure to Covid-19 in 2020 had led to illness, emotional distress, and at least 269 worker deaths.
The suit alleged, 'Tyson lied about the number of Tyson employees that were contracting COVID-19 in an effort to maintain its rate of production.'
The state of Arkansas passed a limited-liability immunity statute to protect employers from being held accountable for Covid cases, while the state Workers Compensation Commission preempts the courts from handling workplace-injury claims.
Alice Driver's Life and Death of the American Worker follows the lives of roughly a dozen of these workers, chronicling the injustices they faced while toiling for Tyson.
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