UNDATED (WSAU-Wheeler News) The employees who make Jennie-O turkeys in Wisconsin and Minnesota are especially grateful this Thanksgiving. Their company recovered from numerous issues involving the avian flu — and they’re getting record bonuses for working through the challenges. Jennie-O Turkey Store employees are getting average bonuses of $1,850 this week, based on the company’s performance over the past year.
New employees get around $600.
Jennie-O is giving 5,900 hourly and farm employees in northwest Wisconsin and Minnesota a total of almost $11-million. Company president Glenn Leitch says he’s proud of how his team dealt with avian flu challenges which hit the turkey industry hard in 2015.
Jennie-O is based in Willmar, Minnesota. It has been owned by Hormel Foods of Austin, Minnesota since 2001.
