Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — An ASG delegation led by Gov. Lemanu Peleti Palepoi Sialega Mauga met with StarKist’s  plant director last week to discuss cannery operations. No additional information was provided by either the Governor’s Office or StarKist corporate office on issues that were covered during the discussion. But StarKist Samoa, since May 24 is down to one production shift a day, which is the morning one that starts at 6a.m.

Michelle Faist, head of StarKist Corporate Affairs, told Samoa News early last week that StarKist Samoa will operate one shift, for the next two weeks. “This is a result of the ongoing challenges to secure workers at the plant,” Faist said in a brief statement. (See Samoa News online May 25th for details.)

The cannery continues to face a worker shortage despite implementing a program that allows foreigners living in the territory with expired P5 Immigration IDs to get their IDs renewed on the condition that they would work for StarKist Samoa.

Meanwhile, it was during last Thursday’s meeting that Kim, on behalf of StarKist Co., chief executive officer Andrew Choe and StarKist company, presented to Lemanu a “monetary donation of $8,000 and 200 tuna cases to help ASG and the COVID Task Force in its efforts to bring our stranded families and friends home,” according to information from StarKist Samoa. The donation was a result of a $1 drive by employees and a contribution from StarKist Corporate.