Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Meat Plant Managers Suspended After Claims They Placed Bets on Worker COVID Outbreak
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 4 years ago on
November 19, 2020

Share

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Tyson Foods suspended top officials at its largest pork plant on Thursday and launched an investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would get infected during a widespread coronavirus outbreak.

The company’s president and CEO, Dean Banks, said he was “extremely upset” about the allegations against managers at its plant in Waterloo, Iowa, saying they do not represent the company’s values. He said the company has retained the law firm Covington & Burling LLP to conduct an investigation, which will be led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

“If these claims are confirmed, we’ll take all measures necessary to root out and remove this disturbing behavior from our company,” Banks said in a statement.

Banks said the accused have been suspended without pay, but did not elaborate.

The Arkansas-based company has faced a backlash over recently amended wrongful death lawsuits in which plaintiffs’ lawyers allege that Waterloo plant manager Tom Hart “organized a cash buy-in, winner-take-all betting pool for supervisors and managers to wager on how many employees would test positive for COVID-19.”

Hart allegedly organized the pool last spring as the virus spread through the Waterloo plant, ultimately infecting more than 1,000 of its 2,800 workers, killing at least six and sending many others to the hospital. The outbreak eventually tore through the broader Waterloo community.

The lawyers represent the estates of Sedika Buljic, 58; Reberiano Garcia, 60; Jose Ayala Jr., 44; and Isidro Fernandez, age unknown. Buljic, Garcia and Fernandez died in April, and Ayala died May 25 after a six-week hospitalization.

The allegation, which was first reported Wednesday by the Iowa Capital Dispatch news site, generated anger toward Tyson on social media and in Waterloo.

Hart didn’t respond to an email seeking comment.

Democratic State Rep. Ras Smith, whose district includes the plant, said Hart should be fired if the allegation is founded and that workplace safety officials should investigate.

“They were knowingly allowing this virus to spread rampantly in the plant and the community. The more we hear, the more we find out how insidious and intentional it was,” Smith said.

Managers Told Workers They Had a Responsibility to Stay on the Job to Ensure That Americans Didn’t Go Hungry

At the time of the alleged betting, Tyson was resisting pressure from local officials to shut down the plant as a safety precaution. The company argued the plant, which can process nearly 20,000 hogs per day, was a vital market for farmers and critical to the meat supply.

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who allowed Tyson to keep the plant open and praised its executives for taking voluntary safety measures, did not answer directly Thursday when asked whether her trust in the company was misplaced. Reynolds, who signed a law in June shielding companies from liability for some COVID-19 related injuries, instead praised her administration for inspecting the plant and helping organize mass testing of workers.

A sheriff helping lead Black Hawk County’s pandemic response said that during an April tour of the plant, he was “shaken to the core” after seeing workers not social distancing or wearing adequate personal protective equipment.

Managers told workers they had a responsibility to stay on the job to ensure that Americans didn’t go hungry, even while they started avoiding the plant floor themselves because they were afraid of contracting the virus, the lawsuits allege. They increasingly delegated responsibilities to low-level supervisors with no management training or experience.

One upper-level manager, John Casey, ordered a sick supervisor who was leaving to get tested to get back to work, and told others they and their subordinates had to keep working even if they had symptoms, the lawsuits allege. Casey allegedly told workers the virus was the “glorified flu” and “not a big deal” because everyone would get it.

On a tour of the plant with Hart, Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspectors on April 20 saw four workers within six feet of each other in one part of the plant, records show. Tyson said it was still in the process of installing barriers at the time.

The plant soon suspended operations to allow for the mass-testing of employees and it reopened about two weeks later with new safety protocols. Iowa OSHA said in June that it found no violations of its standards during the April 20 inspection.

Tyson has asked a federal judge to dismiss the lawsuits, arguing that the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries under Iowa law is through the workers’ compensation system. Its lawyers also argue that the plaintiffs have failed to show that the deceased workers contracted the virus at the plant and not elsewhere.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Can Democrats Be the Party of the Future Again?

DON'T MISS

Say Goodbye to Overpriced Groceries: 6 Hacks to Save Hundreds Each Month

DON'T MISS

From Stories to Work Shirts, How Jim Harbaugh Has Turned Around the Chargers

DON'T MISS

Tulare Police Arrest Canadian Suspect in $130,000 Elder Scam

DON'T MISS

Hall of Famer Kurt Warner’s QB Son Commits to Fresno State

DON'T MISS

Meathead Movers Fill Trucks with Donations for LA Fire Victims. Fresno Can Help

DON'T MISS

Hendrick Motorsports Believes Its Next NASCAR Superstar Is From Clovis

DON'T MISS

Spider Monkey Found in Madera DUI Stop Has a Name: Meet Azules

DON'T MISS

Newsom: Insurance Companies Can’t Cancel or Not Renew Policies of LA Fire Victims

DON'T MISS

Notre Dame Gets Late Pick and Field Goal to Edge Penn State

UP NEXT

Google to Track Every Device Starting February 16

UP NEXT

TikTok’s Fate Arrives at Supreme Court in Collision of Free Speech and National Security

UP NEXT

Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Dies in On-Duty Traffic Accident

UP NEXT

Italian Journalist Freed From Detention in Iran, Returns Home

UP NEXT

Washington Post Lays Off 4% of Its Workforce

UP NEXT

Jimmy Carter Will Be Honored in Washington, a City Where He Remained an Outsider

UP NEXT

Even MAGA Needs Immigrants, It Seems

UP NEXT

First US Bird Flu Death Is Announced in Louisiana

UP NEXT

The Jan. 6 Rioters, 4 Years Later

UP NEXT

Major US Winter Blast Shuts Down Schools and Government Offices in Several States

Tulare Police Arrest Canadian Suspect in $130,000 Elder Scam

16 hours ago

Hall of Famer Kurt Warner’s QB Son Commits to Fresno State

18 hours ago

Meathead Movers Fill Trucks with Donations for LA Fire Victims. Fresno Can Help

18 hours ago

Hendrick Motorsports Believes Its Next NASCAR Superstar Is From Clovis

19 hours ago

Spider Monkey Found in Madera DUI Stop Has a Name: Meet Azules

20 hours ago

Newsom: Insurance Companies Can’t Cancel or Not Renew Policies of LA Fire Victims

20 hours ago

Notre Dame Gets Late Pick and Field Goal to Edge Penn State

20 hours ago

NFL Moves Vikings-Rams Playoff Game to Arizona Due to Wildfires

20 hours ago

Hamas Hostage Survivor Will Speak in Fresno on Saturday

20 hours ago

Why Was FUSD Interim Superintendent’s Seat Moved at Board Meetings?

21 hours ago

Can Democrats Be the Party of the Future Again?

Until recently, there was nothing dissonant about the fact that the heart of Silicon Valley is represented in the House by one of the most p...

3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Can Democrats Be the Party of the Future Again?

3 hours ago

Say Goodbye to Overpriced Groceries: 6 Hacks to Save Hundreds Each Month

16 hours ago

From Stories to Work Shirts, How Jim Harbaugh Has Turned Around the Chargers

16 hours ago

Tulare Police Arrest Canadian Suspect in $130,000 Elder Scam

18 hours ago

Hall of Famer Kurt Warner’s QB Son Commits to Fresno State

18 hours ago

Meathead Movers Fill Trucks with Donations for LA Fire Victims. Fresno Can Help

Corey Day Signs Contract With Hendrick Motorsports
19 hours ago

Hendrick Motorsports Believes Its Next NASCAR Superstar Is From Clovis

The Oakland Zoo's rescue of Azules, a young spider monkey, highlights the dangers of wildlife trafficking and illegal primate ownership. (Oakland Zoo)
20 hours ago

Spider Monkey Found in Madera DUI Stop Has a Name: Meet Azules

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend