Last week, members of Teamsters Local 577 voted by 98 percent to authorize a strike this week at a Tyson Foods plant in Amarillo, Texas. The more than 3,000 workers are part of the largest Tyson’s beef processing plant in the US, and they voted to strike after Tyson refused their requests for a new contract. The union has alleged that Tyson (whose CEO makes 525 times the median worker’s salary) “harass[ed] union stewards, coerc[ed] injured workers into dropping claims, [and] illegally question[ed] workers about their union preference.”
Fortunately, after threatening the strike, the union won significant concessions from Tyson. Their new contract includes “32 percent wage increases, more paid time off, and expanded retirement benefits,” according to the union. The US meat processing industry is rife with child labor, worker intimidation, and amputations. Tyson is no exception; in 2020, seven plant managers were fired for betting in which employees would catch COVID first. And that doesn’t even cover the horrific abuse of animals that happens behind closed doors. (In some states, it is illegal to film what happens inside factory farms.) But it is heartening that by unionizing, workers can secure better, safer conditions.
This story was adapted from the Current Affairs News Briefing. Subscribe today!
