Tyson Foods Inc. is asking a federal judge in Washington state to dismiss most claims in a proposed wage-and-hour class action, arguing that the former employee bringing the suit has failed to spell out concrete facts showing how labor laws were violated.
In a motion filed Monday, the meat processing company urged U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice to throw out seven of the eight claims asserted by former worker Aylin Rodriguez, saying her amended complaint relies on generalized allegations rather than detailed examples required to move the case forward.
According to Tyson, Rodriguez largely recites statutory requirements governing meal breaks, rest periods and overtime pay without identifying when or how those rules were allegedly broken. The company said the complaint does not point to a single specific instance in which Rodriguez missed a meal or rest break, nor does it identify any particular workweek in which she claims to have worked more than 40 hours without receiving overtime compensation.
Tyson also argued that Rodriguez failed to provide facts supporting her claim that she performed off-the-clock work, noting that the filing does not describe specific tasks, dates or circumstances under which unpaid work allegedly occurred.
Beyond the individual allegations, Tyson challenged the attempt to bring the case as a class action. The company said the amended complaint does not identify any uniform policy or practice that applied to workers across the proposed class, making classwide treatment improper at this stage.
Rodriguez initially filed the lawsuit in Washington state court in July, accusing Tyson of failing to provide lawful meal and rest breaks, improperly handling overtime and sick leave, and failing to pay wages owed at termination. Tyson removed the case to federal court in November.
After the company sought judgment on the pleadings late last year, Rodriguez filed an amended complaint on Dec. 22, prompting Tyson to withdraw its earlier motion and instead move to dismiss large portions of the revised filing.
The only claim Tyson is not currently seeking to dismiss involves allegations related to paid sick leave. However, the company emphasized that it does not concede the validity of that claim and may contest it later.
Tyson has also stated in court filings that Rodriguez was not directly employed by Tyson Foods Inc., asserting that she worked for a subsidiary, Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.
Attorneys for both sides did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The case is Rodriguez et al. v Tyson Foods Inc., case number 4:25-cv-05156, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
