Unionized Pilgrim’s Increasing Pay Check

The Waco Pilgrim’s poultry plant became unionized in July. Last Friday, employees received the most significant hourly pay increase in the site’s history and gained access to a new worker safety committee to hear concerns. As a result, production employees immediately saw wages climb by $2.14 an hour. In contrast, maintenance employees who keep refrigeration units working will enjoy a raise of nearly $4 an hour, according to Gonzalo Reyes, organizing director in Texas for the United Food and Commercial Workers union. He spearheaded efforts to unionize the plant that employs nearly 500 on East Lake Shore Drive. As a result, the Pilgrim’s Waco website says the plant is now hiring hourly production employees starting at $14.74 per hour and maintenance staffers at $21.50.