The Tyson plant in Waterloo.
A lawsuit related to the Covid outbreak at a Tyson meatpacking plant in Waterloo alleges managers and supervisors placed cash bets on how many workers would contract the virus.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch was first to report on the allegations in a lawsuit filed by the family of a plant employee who died of the coronavirus in late April. The plant’s manager is accused of running the winner-take-all betting pool on how many workers would get Covid.
Another upper-level manager is also named in the lawsuit and accused of telling employees Covid-19 was “not a big deal” and was basically a “glorified flu.” The lawsuit alleges top managers at the Waterloo plant shifted their responsibilities to lower-level employees so they could avoid the plant floor this spring as the virus spread among workers.
Tyson issued a written statement, saying it will not comment on the specific allegations outlined in the lawsuit. The company says it has taken protective measures at all Tyson plants that exceed federal guidelines for working in close quarters during the pandemic.