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Debate has been raging on over meat producer Tyson Foods' hiring practices, leading to the withdrawal of multimillion-dollar conservative fund manager’s investments.
Bill Flaig, CEO and Co-Founder of the $79million American Conservative Values Fund (ACVF), stated that Tyson's decision to ‘lay off American workers while hiring 42,000 asylum seekers’ has ‘alienated consumers and exposed shareholders to backlash’.
The decision comes amidst growing consumer anger and calls for boycotts against Tyson Foods. Critics accuse the company of prioritizing cheaper immigrant labor over American workers, especially in the wake of plant closures across several states, including Iowa, Virginia, Arkansas, Indiana, and Missouri.
Tyson, headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, has denied allegations of displacing American workers for immigrants, emphasizing its commitment to legal hiring practices.
'Any insinuation that we would cut American jobs to hire immigrant workers is completely false,’ a statement from the brand stated.
'Tyson Foods is strongly opposed to illegal immigration. Today, Tyson Foods employs 120,000 team members in the United States, all of whom are required to be legally authorized to work in this country.
'We have a history of strong hiring practices, and anybody who is legally able is welcome to apply to open job listings,’ it concluded.
The brand did state that it was cooperating with the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a non-profit organization, to source staff. 'We would like to employ another 42,000 if we could find them,' Garrett Dolan, who leads Tyson's social efforts, told Bloomberg recently.
This hasn’t prevented conservative voices on social media from labelling Tyson as ‘unpatriotic’, however. Many opponents have rallied for a boycott of the company and its affiliated brands, including Jimmy Dean, Hillshire Farm, Ball Park, Wright, and Aidells.
The ongoing boycott has also raised legal concerns for Tyson, with conservative action groups warning of potential legal repercussions.
America First Legal, a group led by former Trump administration officials, cautioned Tyson against favoring foreign-born workers over American citizens, citing federal employment laws.
The controversy surrounding Tyson's hiring practices underscores broader anxieties about immigration and its impact on the American workforce.
The company's efforts to hire asylum seekers and migrants reflects a larger trend among businesses seeking to address labor shortages amidst a low unemployment rate.
While Tyson maintains its commitment to legal hiring practices and denies allegations of displacing American workers, the fallout from the controversy continues.
As conservative investors like ACVF divest from the company, the debate over immigration and its implications for the American economy shows no signs of abating.
