Multiple media sources are reporting that Tyson Foods has announced that it would require all its U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 this year.
Tyson is one of the largest employers in Pine Bluff and Jefferson County.
The company said 56,000 of its employees, which is less than half its domestic workforce, have been vaccinated so far. Office workers will be required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1 and plant workers have until Nov. 1.
The company intends to give frontline workers a $200 bonus to get fully vaccinated and current policy allows them to receive up to four hours pay for getting the shots outside of work or through an external provider. The extra pay, as well as the deadline, are subject to talks with unions who represent the workers.
The company also said it will allow exemptions from the mandate for medical or religious reasons.
