Tyson workers sue alleging HR ignored racial threats, fired them

The alleged harassment went far beyond words. Court documents describe leadership-level employees displaying a noose made from a forklift strap, pulling knives in the plant, and referencing the real 1990 murder of a Black man in the same town. In one incident described in the filings, a lead employee allegedly pulled a loaded gun on Clark in Tyson’s parking lot and attempted to shoot him, but the weapon jammed. 

Reeves, who is white and a Born-Again Christian, says he became a target after telling coworkers to stop the racial abuse directed at Clark. According to his lawsuit, Tyson leadership called him a racial slur for associating with Clark, told him to separate from Clark because of his skin color, and subjected him to sexual threats and threats of home invasion. When Reeves cited Bible scripture to push back, a lead allegedly told him he “physically stood on a Bible.” 

What makes these cases especially worth watching for HR professionals is the alleged conduct of the company’s own human resources team. Both lawsuits say Clark and Reeves reported the harassment directly to HR — repeatedly — and that nothing changed. When both requested a day off citing mental health strain, HR allegedly assured them there would be no retaliation. Reeves was then assessed three attendance points for that approved absence, the filings state. HR took no action to fix it, according to the lawsuits. 

On March 14, 2025, both workers called Tyson’s Concerns Hotline to report unsafe working conditions. Within four days, they were suspended. By March 26, both were terminated — ostensibly for leaving work briefly for lunch, something the lawsuits describe as a common, tolerated practice among other employees. 

Neither Clark nor Reeves had ever been written up. Clark was told he was doing an “exceptional job.” Reeves had received a raise during his employment.