Olympic Sponsor Tyson Foods Swaps Labor Day for Islamic Holiday

Shelbyville Tyson Foods Workers Mad at Company, Fail to Blame Union

Tyson Foods is hogging the news, but it's not all good. As a matter of fact, the food giant is inspiring a deluge of headlines that leave consumers wondering if they should not take their business elsewhere. While with the one hand supporting America, mom and apple pie via its Olympic sponsorship, with the other it takes away the traditional paid Labor Day holiday from Shelbyville employees and exchanges it for the religious Islamic observance of Eid ul-Fitr.

Tyson Foods in Olympic News

Tyson Foods is a sponsor of the United States Olympic Team and also features prominently on the menu of those touring to China in pursuit of Olympic gold. Market Watch reported on Friday that 1984 Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Rhetton would be the face of Tyson Food's Olympic efforts in 2008.

The marketing angle is undeniable: meat is a premier source of protein, athletes rely on protein to build muscle, and by sponsoring the Olympic Team it does not take a genius to connect the dots between winning athletes and Tyson's meat products.

Tennessee Tyson Foods Nixes Labor Day Holiday In Favor Of Ramadan

In spite of the all-American image Tyson Foods is portraying with its Olympic efforts, tempers are flaring in Shelbyville, Tennessee. The Voice of Clarksville reported on August 3^rd that 1,200 of Tyson Foods workers will not receive the day off with pay on Labor Day, and instead the company and the union agreed to a five year contract that would benefit the 700 Muslim employees who would prefer to receive Eid ul-Fitr off, the end of Ramadan.

Mind you, there is only about a month of difference between Labor Day and the end of Ramadan, and all workers will receive the same number of paid days off as before, but to traditional Shelbyville workers this is leaving a sour taste in their mouths that not even the succulent Tyson Foods meats can assuage. Since the contract was arrived at by a union majority vote, Tyson Food simply decided to go along with the request of the majority, or so it would have you believe. Non-union workers still will get Labor Day off.

A Deeper Look at the Tyson Foods Holiday Controversy