WATERLOO, Iowa – The chief executive of Tyson Foods, Dean Banks, flew into Waterloo to meet with employees about dubious practices at the company’s 1,000-employee pork plant. Banks vowed to create more avenues for employees to communicate concerns. Reforms would include work group to strengthen collaboration, he said. Banks also promised to “look for ways to enhance a trusting and respectful workplace.” The company went into crisis when allegations surfaced in court that managers were betting last May on how many workers would test positive for COVID during a virus outbreak. The lawsuits alleged also that plant managers pressured employees to keep working even if ill. The suits alleged too that the company waited too long to shut down the plant to stem the outbreak.
