Fired Tyson boss says COVID-19 betting pool was a morale boost today.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from today.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tyson Foods fired seven managers at its Waterloo, Iowa, pork processing plant
The firings followed an independent investigation confirming allegations they bet on the number of workers that would test positive for COVID
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of four plant workers who died from coronavirus
Five of the seven fired plant managers have been named in the lawsuit
Former night manager Don Merschbrock, who was not named in the suit, said the office betting pool was meant to be a morale boost
He said he didn t believe that the cash pool had violated company policy
County officials said last May that more than 1,000 workers had tested positive
Fired boss at Tyson Iowa pork plant says COVID-19 betting pool was a morale boost Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press
Watch: Gov. Kim Reynolds confirms Tyson plant outbreak in Storm Lake; disclosure of outbreak information only when necessary
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IOWA CITY, Iowa – One of the Tyson Foods managers fired for betting on how many workers would contract COVID-19 at an Iowa pork plant said the office pool was spontaneous fun and intended to boost morale.
Don Merschbrock, former night manager at the plant in Waterloo, said he was speaking in an attempt to show that the seven fired supervisors are “not the evil people” that Tyson has portrayed.
One of the seven managers at a Tyson Foods plant in Iowa fired for betting on how many employees would contract COVID-19 recently broke his silence to defend the controversial ordeal that led to his termination.
Don Merschbrock, an ex-night manager at the pork plant in Waterloo, told the Associated Press that he and his six fired co-workers are “not the evil people” Tyson Foods characterized them as. He claimed he and his colleagues did right by their team members and did all they could to protect them from the deadly virus.
The seven managers were fired in mid-December, roughly a month after the company issued suspensions related to the alleged betting pool.
Ryan J. Foley
FILE - In this May 2020, file photo, Tyson s Fresh Meat workers file in for a tour of safety measures put into place after the plant in Waterloo, Iowa, had to shut down due to a COVID-19 outbreak. The family of a Tyson Foods employee are alleging in a lawsuit that he died from COVID-19 after the meat processing giant failed to implement safety protocols to guard against the coronavirus at the Iowa plant where he worked.
Image Credit: (Brandon Pollock/The Courier via AP, File) December 28, 2020 - 8:00 PM IOWA CITY, Iowa - One of the Tyson Foods managers fired for betting on how many workers would contract COVID-19 at an Iowa pork plant said the office pool was spontaneous fun and intended to boost morale.