Chicken Plant Plants Concern in Greeley
US - The prospect of gaining 12,000 jobs in Greeley, north Colorado, has become a possibility due to plans to build a huge chicken processing plant. But what would normally be a cause for celebration has drawn concern, due to what else the plant may bring to Greeley.
16 April 2008
2 minute read
According to The Tribune, area residents are weighing the pros and cons of Foster Farms eyeing northern Colorado to build a chicken processing plant and feed mill and its plan to have up to 75 area farmers raise the chickens.
All jobs aren't created equal, as community leaders and economic development organizations well know. Such processing plant jobs are notoriously low-paying, and the jobs are usually filled by people who don't have the skills for much else and consequently have a high need for social services, as well as financial help with medical care and food.
Cities are instead seeking employers who pay above average and offer health care and retirement benefits. It's believed Foster Farms would pay entry-level employees about $11 an hour, not quite competitive with the JBS Swift packing plant, where the base pay is $12. Even at $11 an hour, that falls nearly $10,000 short of the average annual Weld County wage.
