Tyson Foods has settled a class-action lawsuit by Storm Lake workers that has been in the court system for ten years.
Tyson and the workers agreed in the settlement that a third-party administrator will disburse the payments to the more than 3,900 current and former Storm Lake pork plant workers.
Tyson was sued by a group of Storm Lake plant employees in 2007… claiming they were owed back pay for time spent before and after their shifts, putting on and taking off protective clothes and equipment.
A jury in Sioux City federal court awarded them $5.8 million in overtime pay and damages. The decision was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, which in March of last year rejected Tyson’s appeal.
The average payout to each worker is expected to be $1,700.
(By Joel Herman, KAYL, Storm Lake)