Tyson Foods, Inc. announced in a press release that they will be increasing the hourly at most of its chicken plants in the U.S.
The pay increase is the company's way of trying to boost employee retention and recruitment.
Tyson Foods said in the press release that the pay increase will affect hourly production, maintenance and refrigeration workers at 51 of the company's chicken plants.
The increase would include raising the starting pay to $10 an hour for production workers at almost 40 of the company's plants.
Tyson Foods adds in the press release that the increases in the hourly and starting pay rate at various amounts would increase the average hourly rate of employees who have been on the job for more than a year to $12 an hour.
The top hourly pay at Tyson Foods' chicken operations exceeds $16 an hour.
The company adds in the press release that maintenance and refrigeration workers at the 51 chicken plants will also receive increases in various amounts.
The increase will result in a top pay of $23 an hour to some maintenance jobs and a top pay of $26 an hour to certain refrigeration jobs.
Noel White, president of Tyson Foods' poultry business, said in the press release that the pay increase helps the company remain competitive in the labor markets they operate in.
"We offer the highest paying entry level jobs in many of our plant communities and pay more than most companies in the chicken business," he said. "We believe we have the best team in the chicken business and we want to keep it that way."
The Wall Street Journal adds that Tyson Foods is the latest major U.S. company to lift pay rates as the competition for hiring lower-paid worker rises.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced in February that they will be increasing pay for their employees in the U.S. while McDonald's Corp. announced their pay increase to U.S. employees in April.
The Wall Street Journal adds that data from the U.S. government shows that the unemployment rate for the country was at 5.1 percent last month.
The rate is down nine percent during the same period four years ago.
Aside from pay raises, Tyson Foods will also be offering affordable health, life, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits to its Team Members and their families, according to the press release.
The company actually requires Team Members who have been with Tyson Foods for 59 days to have health care coverage.
The pay increase will be effective on November 1, 2015, according to the press release.
