Meatpackers to get bonus with vaccine

U.S. employees of Brazilianowned meatpacker JBS SA and its subsidiary, Pilgrim’s Pride Corp., will get a $100 bonus if they opt for the COVID-19 vaccine.

JBS, the biggest meat producer in the world, is hoping the bonus will lead to a high percentage of its 66,000-strong workforce being vaccinated, which will mean fewer outbreaks and disruptions in production.

“We have high expectations that at least three states will start massive vaccinations by early February,” Andre Nogueira, chief executive officer of JBS USA, said in an interview. “What we are doing and we’ve been doing this for several weeks is education, educating team members, communicating to team members. The union is helping us with this communication: why it’s important, why it’s safe, in several languages.”

The company’s internal surveys showed that 60 percent to 90 percent of employees were willing to receive the vaccine. With the bonus, however, that number should be closer to 90 percent, even as some skip it for religious reasons, Nogueira said.

Meatpackers have been trying to move past what’s been a dark period for the industry. Companies struggled last spring to contain COVID-19 outbreaks among workers, forcing many plants to close or reduce output. Thousands of meat-plant workers across the country have been infected, and hundreds have died.

JBS put about 8 percent of its workforce on paid leave, including those who were older and those with preexisting medical conditions. Still, overall lower infection rates have allowed JBS to run its plants at near-normal levels.