Springdale, Ark. — Tyson Foods says it plans to spend roughly $50 million on year-end bonuses for over 80,000 hourly workers at its meatpacking plants that will give them between $300 and $700 apiece.
Those bonuses are on top of wage increases that drove the average value of the wages and benefits Tyson’s hourly workers receive up to $24 an hour from $22 an hour over the past year.
Tyson estimated that it has spent more $500 million on wage increases and other bonuses over the past year for the employees who kept its plants running throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Tyson Fresh Meats, based in Dakota Dunes, S.D., currently operates beef plants in Lexington, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Washington.