2 GA Tyson Employees Died From Coronavirus; Others In Quarantine

CAMILLA, GA — Two employees at a south Georgia Tyson Foods factory have died from the coronavirus, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said.

At the Tyson facility in Camilla, Georgia, where the Union represents 2,000 members, two members have died from the virus and many are sick or in quarantine.

"Tyson employs a largely black workforce that commutes from Albany, Georgia and surrounding cities to the facility daily," the union wrote. "Workers debone chickens elbow to elbow with no access to masks. They work at speeds of upwards of 80 chickens per minute, while upper management, largely white and clad in protective gear, oversees production."

The Union, which represents thousands of poultry processing workers across the southern United States, condemned the industry for its slow response to COVID-19.

Over the past month, the Union has been imploring poultry industry employers like Tyson Foods, Equity Foods, JBS/Pilgrim's Pride, Koch Foods and Wayne Farms to implement critical standards to protect workers’ safety and to secure the food supply chain.

"The industry’s response for the most part has only been recent, sporadic and limited to a few locations, leaving most workers unprotected - despite months-long demands from the (Union)," the Union wrote. "Poultry workers at their plants have been dying.

For small towns like Albany, Georgia, it’s too little too late. Albany has the second largest outbreak of COVID-19 in Georgia. The town is home to workers from a number of nearby poultry facilities that feed Americans across the country. This community, like much of the South, will face an uphill battle when it comes to protecting its residents from COVID-19. Many suffer from long-term health issues, including respiratory issues, which have proven fatal when the virus is contracted.

Sadly Camilla, Georgia, isn’t the only place affected. Shelbyville, Tennessee; Carthage, Mississippi; and other communities across the South are suffering due to Tyson’s delayed distribution of personal protective equipment to workers and the delayed implementation of social distancing protocols, protective barriers, and staggered start times and breaks. Perhaps most astonishing, the company offered workers a $500 bonus, but the bonus is tied to attendance and won't be paid out until July. Workers deserve a no-strings attached bonus now and premium pay for the additional risks to their health and the health of their families as they ensure continuity of our nation's food supply for all of our families.

While the company has pledged to do better, and has started this week to share PPE with workers, put up protective barriers at some facilities, and pledged to pay union workers for time in quarantine, the fact is it’s too little too late. Workers are dying. This is inexcusable for America’s largest meat producer, which makes $40 billion in annual revenue. Yet, Tyson is just one example of an industry that is acting too late to protect a generation of workers that is feeding America during this crisis."

On March 31, Tyson Foods said, "as team members continue to keep operations up and running, we’re adding additional protective measures to keep them safe and healthy. We will be offering protective facial coverings for production workers who request them. We’ve already started taking team member temperatures with temporal thermometers before they enter our facilities to limit the spread of COVID-19. To better monitor temperatures, we’re expecting to add infrared scanners following a successful trial at our TMAC research facility."

Additionally, the company said it is encouraging team members to stay home if they are sick, and intensifying cleaning and sanitation. Tyson also said it waived the five consecutive day waiting period for short term disability benefits so workers can receive pay while they’re sick with the flu or COVID-19.

In addition, Tyson said it is:

• Waiving the co-pay, co-insurance and deductible for doctor visits for COVID-19 testing as well as eliminating pre-approval or preauthorization steps.
• Waiving co-pays for the use of telemedicine.
• Relaxing refill limits for 30-day prescriptions of maintenance medication.

As of Thursday at noon, there have been 10,566 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Georgia, 2,159 hospitalizations and 379 deaths. This is an increase of 1,410 cases, 260 hospitalizations and 21 new deaths since Wednesday at noon.

See more: GA Coronavirus Cases Rise Past 10,000, Deaths Nearing 400