Washington, DC — Federal officials say nearly three thousand workers hired to euthanize chickens and turkeys struck by bird flu in 2015 are eligible for back pay.
According to the US Department of Labor, the workers were underpaid and they are owed, as a group, one-point-seven million dollars in wages.
The USDA hired a Massachusetts company during the bird flu outbreak of 2015 to manage the killing and disposal of infected commercial flocks and then clean the facilities. Federal officials say in some cases subcontractors hired by the Massachusetts company failed to pay overtime or the hourly wage that was paid did not match the federal guidelines.
The Department of Labor is searching for eligible employees who worked eight years ago at sites in Osceola, Sioux, and Cherokee Counties to deal with bird flu outbreaks.
