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Local Lawsuit

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Local Lawsuit
Trimmer Harris
Dr. Teddilane Turner
Business Law 100
July 29, 2012

Introduction Tyson Food Incorporation is one of the world’s largest processor and marketers of chicken, beef and pork, the second largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S &P 500, has been found in violation of the Fair Standard Act. Tyson produces a wide variety of protein based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and food service market it serves. Tyson provides products and services to customers through out the United States and more than 90 countries. The company has approximately 1150 team members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world (Tyson Foods.com). In a local lawsuit I will summarize the actions that lead to the lawsuit. Discuss what management could have done to prevent the events that lead to the lawsuit and the ethical consideration reflected in the law applicable to this case. Determine which source of law would be most relevant in this case and how management could have leverage knowledge of the sources to prevent similar instance in the future. Finally recommend what management might be able to do to pursue alternate resolutions outside of court.

Summarize the actions that lead to the lawsuit. Owning a business almost guarantee that you will be in civic court at some point. You may be forced to file a business lawsuit against a customer who refuse to pay an invoice, or against another company that may be using your logo or product name without permission. A business lawsuit must comply with specific procedures to have your side of the case heard. Many business owners hire lawyers to help protect their interest and navigate the legal process (msbusiness.com). Meat packing and food processing workers wear specialized protective gear while they work to protect both themselves and the food we eat. The workers accused Tyson of violating the Fair Labor Standard Act by failing to pay them for time spent putting on and taking off gear they were required to wear to protect themselves and the poultry (ehstoday.com). The US Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against Tyson Foods. The federal department alleged that Tyson food didn’t keep accurate records and failed to pay product line employees for the time they spend putting on and removing protective gear, cleaning equipment, waiting for the production line to start, substantial walk to and from the changing area, work areas, and break areas. The workers also worked on unpaid meal brake (wageandhour.yezabaklaw.com).
Discuss what management could have done in terms of risk management to have prevented the event that lead to the lawsuit. Management according to leadership direct (2010) is defined as achieving goals in a way that makes the best use of all resources (leadershipdirect.com). An individual can’t live without good management nothing will get done. Tyson Foods management team should have accepted the consequences of their actions and budget for it. They should have changed their compensation policy and paid their workers for the time that was due to them (claimsournal.com).
Discuss the ethical considerations reflected in the laws applicable to this case. Ethic can be referred to as the standard behavior that tells us how human being ought to act in the many situations in which they may find themselves. At Tyson Foods, they believed ethical business was good business. They felt that ethical business was everyday business. After all there was no right way to do wrong. They strived to conduct their business as ethical, honest manner and in full compliance with all the applicable laws and regulation. Tyson food talked the talk but didn’t walk the walk. They knew that their acts were both illegal and unethical. They felt that being paid for the time it takes to put on and off work clothes and safety gear was negligible. Payment for these minutes that are inarguably part of one’s work day becomes even more important both pragmatically and the principle when you work for a meat packing plant where the pay is low and the work is grueling and dangerous. Whether standard protective clothing was integral and indispensable to Tyson Foods employee was a factual question. Employer must pay their workers for time they are required to work that is the law with no exception (claimsjournal.com).
Determine what source of law would be most relevant in this case and how management could leverage knowledge of those sources to prevent similar instance in the future. This was a case where the business recognized no wrong doing and therefore refused to compensate the workers lawfully for back time. It wasn’t if though they didn’t have the money because they did. Tyson being a large corporation felt that their position gave them an upper hand. I feel that in an effort to help workers who have been denied their overtime compensation should seek lawyers that routinely pursue class action litigation under the Fair Labor Standard Act to recover unpaid wages. Management should focus on the fact that there are laws that protect our workers no matter what status they are and if you cross that line you can be held liable. You need to make sure that everyone works in harmony with rules and regulations (jerebeasleyreport.com).
Recommend what management might be able to do to pursue alternate resolutions (outside of court). Like other business decision choosing a dispute resolution mechanism involves many trade offs. Instead of automatically taking legal conflict to the court, more firms than ever are using the alternate disputes resolution technique. I feel that alternate dispute would have been a good avenue for Tyson Foods. The money wouldn’t have been a problem because of Tyson financial situation. The length of time would have been beneficial instead of the long drawn out court trial and because of the highly publicity of the trial this has caused damage to Tyson reputation. All of this could have been avoided with the alternate dispute resolution (Bagley, Savage 2012).

Reference
Bagley, C. E., & Savage, D. (2012). Managers and the legal environment: 2010 custom edition (Ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Engage Learning. http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2011/09/21 http://www.ehstoday.com/ppe/tyson-pay-ppe-lawsuit_090201/ http://www.jerebeasleyreport.com.../tyson-food-pay-32-million-to-settle https://www.leadershipdirect.com/what-is-management http://www.msbusiness.com>AGRICULTURE-Marketsector http://www.TysonFoods.com
http://www.wageandhour.yezbaklaw.com/tag/tyson-foods/

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