Poultry producers employment practices under investigation

Chicken manufacturers and producers in the US have been facing an antitrust probe. 

These producers are currently being investigated by the US Depart of Justice. Topping the list is Pilgrim's Pride, which is the second biggest poultry company in the US, followed by other producers who are being investigated for violating antitrust laws. The highly concentrated meat sector is under scrutiny for the high prices consumers pay for chicken and beef and the comparatively lower prices paid to farmers who raise them. At the same time, slaughterhouse employees have been holding protests and meetings all over the nation; due to the labor shortage, worker unions have been winning the fight for higher wages and a better work environment. The labor squeeze worked in their favor as it reduced meat output and boosted prices, which in turn caused general agitation among the consumer forcing employers to resolve the employee crises. The Justice Department is scrutinizing their practices that hurt competition in labor markets, limit employment options for workers, and hold down wages. 

While this investigation is civil, the matter has also launched a subsequent criminal investigation into the hiring practices of Raytheon Technologies Corp. Earlier multiple executive officers of Da Vita Inc. were charged with colluding with other companies not to recruit each others' employees. 

Source: Bloomberg News/Washington Post