NORWICH, N.Y., Oct. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Chobani today
announced the company's starting hourly wage will increase to at
least $15 an hour, more than double
the federal minimum wage. It is the latest commitment by Chobani,
maker of Greek yogurts, oat milks, probiotic drinks, and dairy
creamers, to put people over profits with robust employee benefits.
The changes take effect in the first quarter of 2021.
As a result of this increase, Chobani's average hourly rate at
the company's manufacturing plants in South Edmeston, New York, and Twin Falls, Idaho, will be approximately
$19 an hour – well above the federal
minimum wage of $7.25 an
hour1. And for Chobani's hourly employees in
New York City, including those who
work at the Chobani Café® in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, the company is raising minimum
starting wages to $18 an hour, given
the region's high cost of living.
Today, approximately 70 percent of Chobani's employees are paid
hourly.
"This moment of uncertainty is a call for us to join together to
strengthen communities and support those working tirelessly to make
the food on the tables of families across America," said
Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of
Chobani. "Businesses should serve the people and communities in
which they operate. Raising our base starting salary is the right
thing to do and we hope other businesses, particularly food
manufacturers, feel the same as we all work toward rebuilding our
country."
Since Chobani's founding, the company has believed that
businesses should take care of their employees first. That belief
is best embodied in the robust employee benefits package Chobani
created over the years. In addition to full healthcare benefits and
a company-sponsored retirement plan, Chobani offers:
- Special Bonuses and Support for Frontline Workers - Since the
onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chobani has implemented extensive
health and safety measures to keep its people and their families
safe, including PPE, meals and increased financial benefits. The
company created additional innovative ways to support its
employees, including paying special incremental bonuses to all
hourly plant employees for the past three quarters, which are
continuing, and an ongoing daily childcare subsidy to support those
who suddenly found themselves without childcare options due to
closed schools and childcare centers.
- Chobani Rewards – an initiative that allows every full-time
employee to share in the growth of Chobani over time – continues to
support our employees – including new employees – to meaningfully
share in the value we've already created and will create
together.
- Effective in 2017, Chobani implemented a new paid parental
leave policy, offering 100 percent paid parental leave for six
weeks for all full-time hourly and salaried employees. The program
extends to all parents for the birth, adoption, or placement of a
foster child into the home. In addition, the company covers three
rounds of IVF and fertility preservation for all full-time
employees, including hourly frontline workers.
- Chobani is committed to Pay Equity throughout the company. All
Chobani employees are compensated based on their contributions to
the organization, not their gender, race, or any other identity.
Each year, Chobani conducts a pay equity analysis to ensure that
employees in similar job levels are being paid fairly based on
justifiable compensation factors, like their tenure and
performance, and not on discriminatory factors, like gender and
race. Chobani is proud that, across all levels, it has concluded
employee gender and race do not affect pay. And the company is
continuing to conduct pay equity analyses annually to protect this
into the future.
- To maintain Chobani's fair and equitable compensation
practices, the company has established and standardized pay ranges
for hourly roles, leading to greater transparency around
compensation and setting clear expectations with employees for
their growth over time within the organization.
For more information about Chobani, visit
https://www.chobani.com/
About Chobani
Maker of America's No. 1–selling Greek Yogurt brand and the second
largest yogurt manufacturer in the U.S., Chobani, LLC, was founded
on the belief that people have great taste—they just need great
options. Chobani produces high-quality authentic yogurt made with
only natural, non-GMO ingredients from its plants in New
Berlin, New York, Twin Falls,
Idaho and South Victoria, Australia. Chobani is committed to using milk
from regional farms and strengthening its surrounding local
economies. Chobani gives a portion of its annual profits to
charities worldwide. All Chobani products—including Chobani® Greek
Yogurt and Greek Yogurt Drink, Chobani® Flip®, Chobani® Squeezable
Greek Yogurt, Chobani® Less Sugar Greek Yogurt, Chobani® Gimmies™,
Non-Dairy Chobani™ Coconut Blends and Drinks, Chobani™ Oat Drink
and Barista Edition, Chobani® Oat Blend, Chobani® Oat
Blend with Crunch, Chobani® Greek Yogurt with Oatmeal, Chobani™
Coffee Creamers, Chobani® Probiotic and Chobani® Complete—are
kosher certified, contain live and active cultures, and are made
without any artificial flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives. All
Chobani dairy products are made with milk from cows not treated
with rBST.* Chobani products are available nationwide in the
U.S., Mexico, Canada and Australia, and in
countries in Asia and Latin America. For more
information, please
visit www.chobani.com and www.facebook.com/chobani.
*According to the FDA, no significant difference has been
found between milk derived from rBST-treated and non-rBST-treated
cows.
Related Links
http://www.chobani.com
1 U.S. Department of Labor, the federal minimum wage
for covered nonexempt employees is $7.25 per hour
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chobani-increases-starting-wage-to-at-least-15-per-hour-301159656.html
SOURCE Chobani, LLC