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StarKist providing extra financial assistance in workforce paychecks

StarKist front gate
“Every hourly employee gets a $30 gift” plus cases of tuna
fili@samoanews.com

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Hourly employees at StarKist Samoa — including workers who tested COVID-19 positive — are getting extra financial assistance in their paychecks this week, as well as cases of tuna, according to some cannery workers and/or their relatives.

Samoa News was informed by the workers and family members that they were told the “good news” in recent days and it comes in handy after the cannery was shut down for about three weeks, when the COVID-19 community spread was first declared on Feb. 22.

Information received by Samoa News is that “every hourly employee gets a $30 gift” added to their paychecks this week and also they get cases of tuna. Furthermore, those who tested positive or had to stay home because he/she was in close-contact with a family member who tested-positive and therefore missed work, gets $30 cash and cases of tuna. And this one is on top of the $30 in their checks. 

A family member of a worker, who received this benefit, said the additional money is of great help “financially” during this difficult time and the cases of tuna, are a “savings” — to the food budget. The family member explained that tuna is used for sandwiches and the tuna will last for a couple of days — again — “saving”  money for other purposes.

Meanwhile, the Health Department presented the StarKist COVID-19 Response update at Tuesday’s COVID-19 Task Force briefing and it shows that the cannery’s total workforce is 2,253 and all of them are fully vaccinated. Of the total workforce, 1,063 have booster shots, with 340 more eligible for a booster shot.

Data also shows that 275 positive tests were reported among the workforce, 262 have recovered and there were 13 active cases at the time of the briefing. Furthermore, 8 of the cases were detected at the medical facility in the cannery plant.

The report also provides an update on the personal protective equipment (PPE) and associated equipment on hand and the numbers of PPEs en route here.

StarKist Samoa long ago mandated that all employees must be fully vaccinated.