Current Events > Tyson Foods manager fired for COVID betting pool calls it 'something fun'

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https://nypost.com/2020/12/29/fired-tyson-manager-calls-covid-pool-simply-something-fun/

A manager at Tyson Foods who was fired for participating in an office betting pool on how many co-workers would contract COVID-19 said it was meant as a morale boost and was done without malicious intent.

Don Merschbrock, one of seven managers terminated for the sick stunt at the companys pork processing plant in Waterloo, Iowa, broke his silence in an interview with the Associated Press, claiming supervisors came up with the idea last spring, just after mass testing of 2,800 workers at the facility.

The Tyson employee of 10 years and former night manager said the entry fee for the winner-take-all pool was $50, which went to the person who picked the correct percentage of workers who came down with the virus.

Those who took part didnt think the pool violated company policy, Merschbrock said.

It was a group of exhausted supervisors that had worked so hard and so smart to solve many unsolvable problems, Merschbrock said. It was simply something fun, kind of a morale boost for having put forth an incredible effort. There was never any malicious intent. It was never meant to disparage anyone.

Merschbrock said managers at the facility were faced with an impossible task of keeping up production at its largest pork plant while incorporating virus precautions, leading to 12-hour shifts up to seven days a week. The supervisors are not the evil people that company officials have characterized, he said.

We really want to clear our names, Merschbrock said. We actually worked very hard and took care of our team members well.

Tyson fired the supervisors weeks after a federal lawsuit in Iowa alleged that Tom Hart, the manager at the Waterloo plant, organized the cash buy-in pool in late March and April as he and other top employees avoided the plant floor out of fears of contracting the virus.
see also

Tyson Foods manager had betting pool for how many workers would get COVID-19: suit

More than two dozen workers at the plant were hospitalized with coronavirus on April 12, according to the lawsuit. Company officials said in May that more than 1,000 workers had tested positive and at least six had died.

Attorneys for the estates of four dead Tyson employees claim in wrongful-death lawsuits that the pool shows the company is not concerned with safety.

An investigation led by former US Attorney General Eric Holder found sufficient evidence to lead to the firings, saying those involved violated the companys values.

Tyson has not released Holders findings and the managers who were fired insist they were terminated without an explanation, the Associated Press reported.

A spokesman for Tyson declined to comment on Merschbrocks claims, according to the report.

Mel Orchard, who represents families of the dead employees, said keeping workers safe at the plant was not an impossible task.

Listening to the stories of those who lost a father, brother or wife, I have a hard time having sympathy for the managers who worked extra hours and were tired, Orchard said. But I do understand why and how this could have happened.
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Should be facing a guillotine.

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Scorsese2002 posted...

It was a group of exhausted supervisors that had worked so hard and so smart to solve many unsolvable problems, Merschbrock said. It was simply something fun, kind of a morale boost for having put forth an incredible effort.

LOL

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ScazarMeltex posted...

Should be facing a guillotine.

Shut up

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A manager at Tyson Foods who was fired for participating in an office betting pool on how many co-workers would contract COVID-19 said it was meant as a morale boost and was done without malicious intent.

How the fuck does that boost morale?

"Most of you will get infected lol"

I get it. Essential workers have to stay sane.

Why is it OK for our employers to gamble with our lives but it's not OK for us to make a game of it?

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lol

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ScazarMeltex posted...

Should be facing a guillotine.

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ScazarMeltex posted...

Should be facing a guillotine.

With a dildo attached.

Not shocked. 9 months later and 1 death on our team and my manager still says dumb things like "there are more car crashes than covid deaths but our government hasn't put a ban on cars!"

Its a coping mechanism, an extremely vile and inaccurate one, but a mechanism nontheless.

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