Name: Exclusive: Loyal Tyson employee tells about testing positive for COVID-19 at Perry plant
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Exclusive: Loyal Tyson employee tells about testing positive for COVID-19 at Perry plant

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AdvertisementExclusive: Loyal Tyson employee tells about testing positive for COVID-19 at Perry plantHide TranscriptShow TranscriptWATCHING IOWA’S MEAT PACKING FACILITIES. THAT INCLUDES TYSON’S PORK PROCESSING PLANT IN PERRY, WHERE AT LEAST 730 WORKERS HAVE CONTRACTED THE VIRUS. BUT ONE WORKER SAYS SHE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 5 DAYS BEFORE THE STATE ANNOUNCED ALL THOSE CASES. LAUREN DONOVAN HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE PERRY OUTBREAK FOR WEEKS, AND HAS THIS KCCI EXCLUSIVE STORY. LAUREN: WE SPOKE WITH THIS WOMAN, WHO TESTED POSITIVE, ON THE PHONE. HOWEVER, HER ENGLISH IS LIMITED, AND SHE FEARS RETALIATION. FOR THAT REASON, HER DAUGHTER, KARINA, IS SPEAKING ON HER BEHALF, AND WE WILL ONLY BE USING HER FIRST NAME. KARINA: PEOPLE THAT I KNOW ARE GOING TO DIE, AND I HAVE TO MENTALLY PREPARE FOR THAT. LAUREN: PERRY NATIVE KARINA WILL BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU HOW TIGHT-KNIT HER HOMETOWN IS. KARINA: EVERYBODY GROCERY SHOPS AT THE SAME PLACE. EVERYBODY GOES TO THE SAME GAS STATIONS. LAUREN: SO WHEN THE NEWS BROKE APRIL 17 THAT WORKERS AT THE TYSON PLANT IN PERRY TESTED POSITIVE, SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED HER MOM. KARINA: I WAS LIKE, "MOM, HOW ARE YOU?" SHE’S LIKE, "EVERYBODY IS CALLING ME, WORRIED, FREAKING OUT." LAUREN: KARINA SAYS TWO DECADES AGO, HER MOTHER IMMIGRATED TO DALLAS COUNTY FROM MEXICO. SHE’S BEEN A LOYAL EMPLOYEE AT TYSON EVER SINCE. BUT THAT TRUST BEGAN TO TURN ON APRIL 18, THE DAY SHE BEGAN SHOWING SYMPTOMS. KARINA: AND THEN THE 19TH, MY BROTHER HAD A REALLY TERRIBLE FEVER. LAUREN: HER MOTHER CONTINUED WORKING AT THE PLANT DESPITE THESE SYMPTOMS. HER MOTHER TELLS US TYSON MANDATED TEMPERATURES BE TAKEN BEFORE EACH SHIFT, WHICH MADE HER FEEL SAFE. HOWEVER, SHE SAYS WHEN TYSON TESTED HER AND MORE THAN 1200 EMPLOYEES ON APRIL 25, HER TEMPERATURE WAS NOT TAKEN. SHE TELLS US THAT AND A LACK OF SOCIAL DISTANCE MADE HER FEEL EXTREMELY VULNERABLE AS SHE WAITED FOR HOURS IN THIS LINE. KARINA: THERE WERE SO MANY PEOPLE THERE, AND EVERYONE WAS CROWDED. LAUREN: FIVE DAYS LATER, ON APRIL 30, HER MOTHER SAYS SHE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19. SHE TELLS US SHE’S NOT ENTIRELY SURE WHO CALLED HER WITH THE RESULTS, BUT IT WAS CERTAINLY NOT TYSON. THE CALLER IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS A HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL. IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED, SOMEONE CALLED HER BACK TO CHECK IN ON HER. SHE SAYS THE PERSON ON THE LINE TOLD HER SHE COULD RETURN TO WORK AFTER THREE DAYS WITHOUT A FEVER. KARINA: THE PERSON THAT CALLED HER HAD SAID SHE WAS GOOD TO RETURN TO HER NORMAL LIFE, EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS STILL SYMPTOMATIC. LAUREN: ACCORDING KARINA’S MOTHER, THIS IS THE ONLY CORRESPONDENCE SHE HAS RECEIVED FROM TYSON. SCREENSHOTS SHE SENT TO US FROM THE COMPANY’S CORPORATE MASS TEXT MESSAGING SERVICE REVEAL TYSON HELD ANOTHER ROUND OF TESTS ON MAY 1 FOR THOSE WHO WERE NOT ALREADY TESTED. THE UNION AND COMPANY HAVE AGREED EMPLOYEES WILL HAVE GUARANTEED PAY FOR ONE WEEK, AND THAT TYSON IS OFFERING $30 EXTRA PER DAY FOR EMPLOYEES WHO COME INTO WORK FROM MAY 4 THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH. THEY’RE CALLING IT A "WE CARE" BONUS. ACCORDING TO HER MOTHER, SHE NEVER RECEIVED A FORMAL LETTER FROM THE COMPANY ABOUT THIS. KARINA: IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYTHING THEY’RE DOING IS WITHOUT A PAPER TRAIL. LAUREN: I ASKED TYSON ABOUT THESE TEXT MESSAGES. THE COMPANY RESPONDED IN PART, QUOTE, "ALL EMPLOYEES WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE WILL REMAIN ON SICK LEAVE UNTIL THEY HAVE SATISFIED OFFICIAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED BY THE CDC FOR RETURN TO WORK, AND WE HAVE INCREASED SHORT-TERM DISABILITY COVERAGE TO 90% OF NORMAL PAY UNTIL JUNE 30 TO ENCOURAGE TEAM MEMBERS TO STAY HOME WHEN THEY ARE SICK. THE COMPANY HAS DOUBLED ITS THANK YOU BONUS FOR ITS FRONTLINE WORKERS, AND TEAM MEMBERS WHO CANNOT COME TO WORK BECAUSE OF ILLNESS OR CHILDCARE ISSUES RELATED TO COVID-19 WILL CONTINUE TO QUALIFY." KARINA SAYS THE COMPANY’S LACK OF COMMUNICATION SHOWS AN ABSENCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY. KARINA: IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE THEY CARE. ITS SEEMS LIKE THEY CARE ABOUT THE MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS. LAUREN: KARINA TELLS US ITS TIME FOR STATE LEADERS TO PUT SENTIMENTS OF CONCERN INTO ACTION. KARINA: DO YOU ACTUALLY CARE? HOW DO YOU SHOW THAT YOU CARE? HOW DO YOU HOLD THESE COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE? LAUREN: COVERING DALLAS COUNTY, LAUREN DONOVAN KCCI 8 NEWS, IOWA'AdvertisementExclusive: Loyal Tyson employee tells about testing positive for COVID-19 at Perry plantState leaders are closely watching Iowa's meat packing facilities, including Tyson's pork processing plant in Perry. The Perry plant had at least 730 workers test positive for COVID-19. KCCI's Lauren Donovan interviewed a woman who tested positive at the plant.State leaders are closely watching Iowa's meat packing facilities, including Tyson's pork processing plant in Perry. The Perry plant had at least 730 workers test positive for COVID-19. KCCI's Lauren Donovan interviewed a woman who tested positive at the plant.AdvertisementLoading more articles...

AdvertisementExclusive: Loyal Tyson employee tells about testing positive for COVID-19 at Perry plantHide TranscriptShow TranscriptWATCHING IOWA’S MEAT PACKING FACILITIES. THAT INCLUDES TYSON’S PORK PROCESSING PLANT IN PERRY, WHERE AT LEAST 730 WORKERS HAVE CONTRACTED THE VIRUS. BUT ONE WORKER SAYS SHE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19 5 DAYS BEFORE THE STATE ANNOUNCED ALL THOSE CASES. LAUREN DONOVAN HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING THE PERRY OUTBREAK FOR WEEKS, AND HAS THIS KCCI EXCLUSIVE STORY. LAUREN: WE SPOKE WITH THIS WOMAN, WHO TESTED POSITIVE, ON THE PHONE. HOWEVER, HER ENGLISH IS LIMITED, AND SHE...

Exclusive: Loyal Tyson employee tells about testing positive for COVID-19 at Perry plant

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