A manager at Tyson’s meatpacking plant in Goodlettsville says it’s “good business sense” to help foreign workers there integrate to the American workplace.

The company pays for on-site English classes and assists workers through the immigration process. Tyson says that saves money by reducing turnover.

When Tyson’s Goodlettsville plant opened in 2001, it faced almost 100 percent worker turnover. But over the last few years, Human Resources Manager Gary Denton says the company has been doing more to accommodate foreign workers. And turnover has dropped – down to about 15 percent.

The 1,700 worker plant speaks 12 different languages, including Spanish, Somali and Arabic. The company reimburses workers who complete ESL courses on or off-site, paying back some $200 thousand over the last three years.

Denton says the site is now largely able to promote from within, with 70 percent of its managers former hourly workers.

“You know, educating these folks and developing these folks’ skills, we know that they’re our future leaders of the company.”

Denton says the company also regularly helps workers trying to obtain citizenship, by translating paperwork and giving rides to the immigration office in Memphis.

Abdul Farah at the Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee says the plant is attractive to unskilled foreign workers. And both Farah and Tyson say much of the company’s popularity as an employer stems from word-of-mouth.

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Earlier this decade two Tyson managers pleaded guilty and received probation for conspiring to smuggle in undocumented workers. While the company was acquitted, a representative says that influenced Tyson’s policies, which include thoroughly verifying workers’ eligibility.