Tyson fires Iowa plant managers following allegations they bet on workers getting COVID-19

An outside investigation led by former Attorney General Eric Holder found "sufficient evidence" that when the coronavirus was spreading through Tyson Food's largest pork plant in the spring, managers bet on how many employees would test positive for COVID-19.

The company announced on Wednesday that in response, seven of the top managers at the Waterloo, Iowa, facility have been fired. "We value our people and expect everyone on the team, especially our leaders, to operate with integrity and care in everything we do," Tyson President and CEO Dean Banks said in a statement. "The behavior exhibited by these individuals does not represent the Tyson core values, which is why we took immediate and appropriate action to get to the truth."

During the spring, the coronavirus quickly spread through the Waterloo community and the Tyson plant. More than 1,000 facility employees were infected by the virus, and at least six died. Lawyers representing the families of four of the victims filed lawsuits claiming that at the same time, plant manager Tom Hart put together a pool for supervisors, who bet on what percentage of plant workers would test positive for the coronavirus. A former supervisor told the lawyers 10 people participated, putting in $10 each.

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The lawsuits also allege that managers pressured employees to keep working, even if they were sick, and the plant didn't shut down until it was too late. While they pushed people to keep showing up to work, the lawsuits said, managers avoided being on the plant floor. Attorney Mel Orchard told The Associated Press that Tyson did not offer adequate safety precautions and "gambled with workers' lives."