SPRINGDALE, ARK. – Since the Aug. 3 announcement that it would require all its 120,000 US-based workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 1, Tyson confirmed that as of Sept. 30, more than 100,000 of its employees have participated.

“Ninety-one percent of our US team members have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination,” said Derek Burleson, a company spokesperson. “And we continue our vaccination efforts.”  

Meanwhile, the company continues to encourage and entice more workers to get the vaccination, through an educational program that includes outreach to provide them with the information they need and answer questions during one-on-one conversations. Tyson offers workers free on-site COVID-19 vaccinations and it incentivizes participation with more than $6 million in sweepstakes and bonuses of $200 for fully vaccinated front-line workers. Workers are also compensated for up to four hours of regular pay if they choose to be vaccinated somewhere else or outside of normal work hours. The efforts have been effective, according to the company.   

“We’ve more than doubled the number of vaccinated members since the company announced its requirement in early August,” Burleson said.

When the mandate was first announced, Tyson required leadership officers to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 24, office workers at US locations by Oct. 1 and remaining employees by Nov. 1.

“We believe that getting vaccinated is the single most effective thing our team members can do to protect themselves, their families and the communities where we operate,” Burleson said.