Sabrina Novotny
Nine poultry processors have reached a preliminary settlement of $180 million in a class-action lawsuit with workers alleging anti-trust violations and wage suppression dating back to 2009. The lawsuit accuses the companies of exchanging wage data through off-the-books meetings, phone calls, and electronic surveys to coordinate compensation, keeping wages low across the industry. The settlement, filed on December 23, 2024 in the US District Court of Maryland, awaits review by US District Judge Stephanie Gallagher.
Among the companies listed, Tyson Foods Inc. and its 2018 acquisition Keystone Foods Inc. would be the largest contributors to the settlement, with a combined $115.5 million.
Tyson Foods is no stranger to scandal. In 2020, the company fired 7 managers at an Iowa pork plant for betting money on how many workers would test positive for the COVID-19. This revelation came after a family member of a worker who died from the virus exposed the manager’s “cash buy-in” betting pool. The same year, they faced scrutiny for continuing operations even after thousands of workers tested positive for the virus.
In the years since, Tyson has faced lawsuits and federal probes over its failure to protect workers from the virus. Workers have accused the company of not providing adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) or modifying operations for social distancing. Judges continually dismiss such lawsuits, claiming the plaintiffs do not show adequate proof linking Tyson’s actions to their risk of contracting the virus.
According to a 2021 US House report, at least 59,000 meatpacking workers contracted COVID-19 and 269 workers died in 2020. In 2023, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report showing that slaughterhouse workers were as much as 70 times more likely than the general population to contract Covid-19.
Beyond COVID-related controversies, the company has come under scrutiny for shutting down slaughterhouses in favor of reopening them in areas with larger migrant populations, a byproduct of imperialist oppression driving down wages and increasing their exploitation of the whole working class.
In 2023, The Labor Department launched investigations into Tyson Foods, along with Perdue Farms, after a New York Times article revealed that migrant children, some as young as 13, were working overnight shifts at slaughterhouses in Virginia. These children used acid and pressure hoses to clean industrial machines coated in blood, grease, and feathers.
Despite mounting evidence, Tyson rejected shareholder calls for an independent audit into child labor allegations in early 2024. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor has fined Perdue, as well as JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, a combined $8 million in restitution for their years spent relying on the exploitation of migrant children in their slaughterhouses. Directly fining these major companies is a unique decision. Typically the third-party staffing firms who employ the workers face the brunt of the law by giving the large companies plausible deniability.
Slaughterhouse workers endure some of the most grueling conditions in the U.S. labor market.
Employees spend long hours performing repetitive tasks with sharp tools and heavy machinery, resulting in high rates of carpal tunnel syndrome and occupational illnesses—seven and six times the national average, respectively.
