Meat+Poultry - December 2021 - 43

federal government and as such continued to
produce food for the nation during the state of
emergency. Many facilities instituted a number
of controls and programs to reduce the spread
of COVID-19 but there was no silver bullet, " said
Sarah Little, vice president of communications
for NAMI. " In order to continue to produce food
for Americans while keeping our employees
safe it was critical to obtain the vaccine so
these employees could have the best, long-term
protection from COVID-19. The Meat Institute
called on the president and members of his
administration to prioritize meat and poultry
workers to receive the vaccine following
medical workers and vulnerable Americans. The
Meat Institute also worked with UFCW, state
governors and other organizations to ensure
workers had access to the vaccine. "
By early February, meat plants around the
country started programs to get their front-line
workers vaccinated. However, as vaccination
priorities continued to vary from state to state,
NAMI continued its push to help get all meat
processing employees on the priority list.
" Front-line meat and poultry workers were
among the first impacted by the pandemic, but
comprehensive protections implemented in the
sector since spring 2020 worked, " Julie Anna
Potts, president and chief executive officer of
NAMI, said last March. " The critical next step
is to ensure immediate access to vaccines as
this dedicated and diverse workforce continues
feeding Americans and keeping our farm
economy working. "
EDUCATION CAMPAIGN
When vaccines first started to be rolled out
at meat plants, companies were anxious to
encourage as many workers as possible to get
vaccinated. Tyson Foods started its employee
education campaign on the benefits of the
COVID-19 vaccine at the beginning of 2021.
" Our education piece started well before
the vaccine was available, " said Derek
Burleson, spokesperson for Tyson. " We wanted
to let our team members know that this is not
required, but we're highly encouraging it. We
let them know that it's coming, and we want
you to have accurate information to make the
decision that's right for you. "
Siloam Springs, Ark.-based Simmons Foods
also started its vaccination education campaign
long before the company conducted on-site
vaccine clinics at its facilities in early March.
" We've made it a priority to inform
and educate our team members about the
importance of getting vaccinated by accessing
resources from health officials, and then
walking and talking to answer questions in
face-to-face conversations, " said Russell
Tooley, chief administrative officer for
Simmons Foods.
The next step in the push for vaccination
among workers was incentivizing employees.
A number of meat processing companies chose
to offer money and time off to employees who
made the decision to get vaccinated.
JBS USA and Pilgrim's offered a $100
incentive to all team members who chose to
be vaccinated. Tyson opted to compensate
workers for time lost from work. Tyson said
it would pay employees up to four hours of
regular pay if they are vaccinated outside of
their normal shift or if they are vaccinated at
an off-site location.
" This incentive is an additional way we can
encourage our front-line workers to receive
the vaccination, which we believe is another
important protective measure, " said Johanna
Söderström, executive vice president and chief
human resources officer for Tyson.
" Getting vaccinated against
COVID-19 is the single most
effective thing we can do to
protect our team members, their
families and their communities. "
- CLAUDIA COPLEIN, MD
In order to make it as easy as possible to
get vaccinated before, during or after work,
processors held on-site vaccination events.
By the end of March, Tyson had helped more
than 30,000 employees get vaccinated at its
vaccination events.
MAKING IT MANDATORY
Tyson and many companies in the United States,
decided to take their vaccination efforts one
step further by making it a requirement for
employment. On Aug. 3, Tyson announced that
it was requiring its leadership officers to be fully
vaccinated by Sept. 24, its workers in office
locations around the country by Oct. 1 and the
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