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Tyson Foods Lawsuit

Tyson Foods Lawsuit

From the beginning of the past decade, Tyson foods has been involved in several controversies. These controversies have birthed allegations ranging from air and water pollution to general nuisance lawsuits. 

Currently, Tyson Foods is being sued over allegations for failure to provide adequate PPE and a federal wrongful death lawsuit. In addition to the coronavirus and because of it, Tyson foods has to face these allegations head on and prove innocence. 

The meat processing company has refused to comment on the pending litigation, but you shouldn’t. If you or a loved one has become sick or died while working on a Tyson plant, don’t just comment. Speak to a Tyson Foods Lawsuit Attorney to help you seek just compensation.

At Oshan and Associates, our Tyson Foods Lawsuit Attorneys are the best at what they do. We have a vast amount of knowledge and experience; we will not hesitate to use our full resources to help your case. We will ensure that you get the full compensation you deserve. 

History of Tyson Foods 

Tyson Foods is an American Corporation based in Arkansas. They operate in the food industry and have subsidiaries in different countries. Tyson Foods is the world’s second largest processor and seller of chicken, beef and pork.

Tyson Foods exports yearly the largest percentage of beef out of the United States. They are responsible for major food brands like Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park and State Fair. Etc. 

It was established 1935 by John W. Tyson. The company is today one of the largest U.S. marketer of chicken beef and pork. They sell to retail grocers, restaurant chains and broad line distributors. In 2018, Tyson Foods ranked No. 80 in the Fortune 500 list of the United States corporations by total revenue.

As of 2014, Tyson Foods owned more than 300 facilities, 100 of which are in the US and employed 115,000 workers. Last fiscal year 2019, they made sales of $42.4 Billion and employed 141,000 employees. In fact, 1 in 5 pounds of chicken, beef & pork in the U.S. is produced by Tyson Foods.

They have grown in leaps and bounds over the years and are arguably one of the biggest meat sellers in the US. Through their vast subsidiaries and consistent output, they have been “feeding families since 1935”.

Sadly, in spite of these giant footprints and remarkable achievements the corporation has had to deal with more than a few controversies. Numerous allegations have come up over the years, putting the meat processing corporation in a perpetual state of litigation. Unfortunately, since the early 2000’s, Tyson Foods has been found and plead guilty to several allegations and have had to pay court awarded penalties.

Allegations Against Tyson Foods

The allegations Tyson Foods have faced can be sorted into several categories. Like environmental pollutions, deceptive marketing, price manipulation, abuse (employee and animal), undisclosed use of antibiotics and others. We’ll be looking at a few of these allegations.

  • Tyson Foods v. Bouaphakeo

3,000 Tyson Foods Workers sued their employer for “wage theft”. After the company consistently refused to pay workers at their pork plant in Iowa, for over time, as authorized by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).  The employees formed a class action suit on November 10, 2015 which resulted in a $5.8 million jury awarded damages against the company.

  • Environmental Pollution 

In June 2003, Tyson Foods admitted to illegally dumping untreated wastewater from its poultry processing plant in Missouri. They pled guilty to 20 felony violations of the federal Clean Water Act. Part of the plea agreement included that the company pay $7.5 million in fines, perform an environmental audit and put in place an “enhanced environmental management system” in the Missouri plant, which they agreed to. 

In 2004, six poultry companies in Tulsa, Oklahoma were sued. The lawsuit alleged that the use of chicken waste as fertilizer had created phosphorus pollution in the lake Eucha and Spavinaw watershed which are the city’s main drinking water sources. Tyson Foods was one of the companies and they paid a settlement fee of $7.3 million to the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

In 2002, the Sierra Club and three residents of Western Kentucky filed a lawsuit in regards to the dangerous quantities of ammonia from Tyson Foods’ operations in Western Kentucky. The corporation settled this suit in January 2005, when they agreed to spend $500,000 to lessen and watch the ammonia levels. 

  • Employee Abuse

In 2016, Oxfam issued a report that quoted anonymous employees of Tyson Foods. These employees stated that they have been denied bathroom breaks so frequently that they have started wearing adult diapers to work. The report states that:

“workers struggle to cope with this denial of a basic human need. They urinate and defecate while standing on the line; they wear diapers to work; they restrict intake of liquids and fluids to dangerous degrees; they endure pain and discomfort while they worry about their health and job security.”

A professor of occupational health at George Washington University alleged that on average, more than one Tyson Foods employee is injured and amputates a finger or limb per month.

Employer Liabilities

According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), employers must adequately provide their employees with a safe work environment. If they default, then they can be held liable for any injuries or illnesses sustained by an employee. 

The following are some OSHA requirements for employers. Employers need to:

  • Provide needed protective equipment to workers
  • Report injuries and illnesses
  • See copies of workplace injury and illness log
  • Receive copies of test results to find hazards in the work place.

Despite the fact that Tyson Foods has not been found guilty of any recent allegations, it is difficult to overlook the mounting previous allegations that were true. The treatment workers receive at Tyson Foods processing plants all over the world is unforgivable. It shows glaringly that the company is not adhering to its legal and ethical obligation to provide safety measures for its employees and protect them from harm. 

If you or a loved one has sustained a work-related injury while working on a Tyson Foods Plant, please reach out to us. Our Tyson Food Lawsuit Lawyers are able and willing to fight for you. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our Tyson Foods Lawsuit Lawyers. 



2 Responses

Wayne Wilson
Wayne Wilson

March 14, 2024

Please contact me ASAP.

Melvina Riley
Melvina Riley

February 12, 2024

Looking for someone to help me with my case against Tyson, food service. I believe in my case because I believe in me, I was a good worker at Tyson for one year never came to work late never got wrote up never had any warnings I was a dedicated worker for Tyson never came to work late I pride myself on that..
Tyson’s food service is set up for Hispanics and Mexicans. I was put through the wringer and their letter to me. They made it look like ITyson‘s food service is set up for Hispanics and Mexicans. I was put through the ringer and their letter to me. They made it look like I was the aggressor, but if the video is shown, it can prove my case. If the video is shown in court, it will show that I was in the right. What makes things even worse three months after I was fired a Mexican hit someone with a pack of meat she was not fired and this was not her first time being aggressive towards a worker. Please help.

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