Food Manufacturers Raise Factory Pay

By Annie Gasparro

Some food manufacturers are raising pay for workers in their factories, warehouses and delivery fleets that they are counting on to maintain production at a time of sky-high demand.

Cargill Inc., PepsiCo Inc., Hormel Foods Corp., Kraft Heinz Co., Campbell Soup Co. and Danone SA are among companies that have agreed to higher wages and paid sick leave or child-care stipends for certain employees, according to the companies.

Food makers face a conundrum in trying to keep factories running at high rates while also maintaining worker safety as the pandemic advances across the U.S. Mass absenteeism at U.S. food-making plants could dent the supply of those goods.

About 40 workers at a Perdue Farms Inc. chicken plant in Georgia walked out Monday, protesting for hazard pay and more sanitary working conditions after multiple workers reported being exposed to the novel coronavirus at the factory, according to workers' rights advocates. Perdue didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 25, 2020 14:40 ET (18:40 GMT)

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