Tyson Foods is set to invest nearly $23.5 million in a facility located in Kentucky to address the “increased market demand” for protein.
The US meat giant plans to expand its site in Robards, Henderson County, enhancing its production capabilities in the food manufacturing sector.
This initiative includes adding new equipment and upgrading the existing facility, aiming to boost production capacity and diversify product offerings. Construction is scheduled to commence this year, with completion targeted for spring 2026.
In contrast, Tyson is encountering worker discontent further south in Texas. Employees at a beef-processing site in Amarillo are preparing to strike.
Approximately 3,200 workers, represented by the Teamsters union, overwhelmingly voted 98% in favor of strike action, calling for “higher wages and improved benefits.”
Union president Al Brito emphasized, “Last year, Tyson’s CEO made 525 times that of the median worker. This facility is essential to the beef supply chain, but if Tyson’s corporate leadership doesn’t start demonstrating some basic humanity, we will be forced to take action.”
According to the union, it has filed several unfair labor practice (ULP) charges against Tyson, accusing the corporation of violating labor laws.
They claim that, over the past month, Tyson’s management pressured injured workers into withdrawing claims.
Additionally, the union alleges that management misled workers by claiming they would lose their jobs if they participated in strikes related to unfair labor practices.
In January, Tyson was involved in a settlement agreement alongside eight other US poultry processors to resolve a long-standing wage dispute spanning more than two decades.
The nine processors collectively agreed to pay $180.8 million to plaintiffs in the latest settlement round, though Tyson Foods and its counterparts did not admit liability.
According to court documents, the nine processors “conspired to suppress the compensation paid to workers at poultry processing plants, hatcheries, feed mills, and complexes over a nearly twenty-year period.”
