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Sep. 10, 2024 by Krissa Welshans, Livestock Editor, Feedstuffs magazine Settlements totaling $200.2 million have been reached with multiple red meat processing companies in a lawsuit that alleged a years-long period of wage-fixing, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman. The motion, filed Sept. 5, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, seeks preliminary approval of settlements reached with National Beef Packing Co. for $14.2 million, Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. for $29.75 million and Hormel Foods Corp. for $13.5 million. These are the seventh, eighth and ninth settlements reached in the case. The class action brings claims of fraudulent concealment of violations of federal antitrust law the Sherman Act, and lays out the specific methods the 11 red meat processors allegedly used to fix wages to keep them lower than what the market would dictate. "We look forward to the court's preliminary approval of this settlement so that payments can begin to make their way to the class members who rightfully deserve this money," said Shana Scarlett, partner at Hagens Berman. "Our antitrust team continues to diligently litigate against remaining defendants to secure meaningful recovery." Affected employees include those who have occupied various positions along processing lines, including slaughtering and aging, cutting and further processing, repairing processing machines and supervising processing lines. Cargill said it denies any wrongdoing but chose to settle "only to avoid larger litigation costs and distractions from the critical work our production teams do, providing enough beef to feed 72 million people every single day." "We are grateful for our employees' commitment, and we set their compensation independently to ensure fair pay and competitive wages in each of our plants," the company added. To read the entire report click here. Tweet |
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