Effective September 11, 2022, Foster Farms increased the entry level wage rate for its Farmerville, Louisiana, processing facility TEAM members to $17.30 per hour from the current start rate of $12.70 per hour. Farmerville TEAM Members also qualify for a very comprehensive health care plan, as well as disability and life insurance coverage. Foster Farms had also proposed other contractual changes including improving Team Member benefits related to vacation and holidays, however the UFCW Local 455 and Foster Farms were not able to agree within the terms of the current collective bargaining agreement. Foster Farms is always looking for enhancements to the workplace environment, keeping TEAM member safety top of mind.
“We want to hire and retain the best people in Union Parish and the surrounding region,” said David Alverson, Foster Farms’ Farmerville complex manager. “That means ensuring that wages and benefits are competitive in our industry and our community, particularly at a time when we are all being impacted by high inflation.” The Foster Farms Farmerville complex employs 1,000 TEAM members and is currently hiring to fill a bit more than 600 new positions on various shifts.
Foster Farms launched a similar wage increase program at its Livingston, California, facility in early July, as well as at its Kelso, Washington, facility in August. “Competitive wages and benefits, along with an emphasis on TEAM member safety and training, are the building blocks of a culture nobody wants to walk away from,” added Arturo Towns, Foster Farms chief human resource officer. “This is the culture we want to create and provide to our valued TEAM members across the entire Foster Farms company.”
