Wayne Sanderson Farms Workers Deserve Better

Wayne Sanderson Farms, the third largest fully integrated poultry processing company in the United States, reported over $8 billion in sales in 2024. With a vast operation that includes a hatchery, a feed mill, and processing facilities, the company plays a major role in the poultry industry. However, behind the numbers and success, workers face unfair treatment, low wages, and unsafe working

conditions.

In 2024, the IAM successfully organized a unit at Wayne Sanderson Farms in Alabama, representing full-time and part-time diesel mechanics, mechanics, and truck shop lead mechanics. This victory is an important step toward ensuring workers receive fair treatment, but many others across the company’s various facilities continue to struggle. Employees have voiced concerns about an unfair

point system, lack of compassion from management, minimal wage increases, and ongoing safety issues. Wayne-Sanderson Farms is no stranger to safety and regulatory violations. Since 2001, they have received $93,510,287 in fines from agencies such as the EEOC, OSHA, EPA, and NLRB.

Despite the company’s massive profits, wages remain unacceptably low. Some employees start at just $17.70 an hour—less than $20 an hour while the company benefits from state-funded grants, tax credits, and rebates. In 2004, Wayne Sanderson Farms received a $3,275,000 grant from the state of Georgia as part of an Economic Development, Growth and Expansion (EDGE) Fund. With financial assistance flowing from local, state, and federal agencies, the question remains: Why can’t Wayne Sanderson Farms pay its workers more?

Workers at Wayne Sanderson Farms deserve better pay, better treatment, and a safer work environment. Management must be held accountable for creating a workplace that respects its employees rather than intimidating them. HR needs to step up and ensure fair treatment instead of enabling a toxic environment. No worker should feel disrespected or unsafe while helping generate billions in revenue for a company that refuses to invest in its people.

IAM District 243 stands with the workers of Wayne Sanderson Farms in Georgia. It’s time for change. It’s time to feel safe at work. It’s time for fairness. It’s time for respect.

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