More than likely, you have seen your fair share of “Now Hiring” sings in your community, and beef and pork processing plants are not immune.
Some packers have already increased wages to nearly $28 dollars and hour and some have benefits that kick in after 30 days.
An industry lobbyist says that most plants are running about 60 percent of their normal workforce and the issue really comes down to quality of life.
“We’re asking the workers to do a lot more, and that puts a lot of pressure on these packers because people said, ‘well, get them to work Saturdays.’ Well, they have been working Saturdays in the pork and beef plants for a few years now, and the people, you know, they need a day off. They need two days off to rest and recuperate. So, we don’t want to push them that hard,” according to Chandler Keys with Keys Group Principal.
He says that meat processing is also a first generation type job and they rely on a steady influx of immigrant labor to keep the jobs filled.
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