SOUTH EDMESTON, N.Y. (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) – In response to nationwide inflation and more importantly, an urgent need to recognize its employee’s value, Chobani announced a 20% to 30% salary increase going into effect this month.
“We want to be market leaders. That’s why we are taking this aggressive action. Our wage is now over $23 per hour which before it has been just over $19,” said Brandon Dansie, Vice President of the People Team at Chobani.
With the recent uncertainty in the US economy, Chobani continues investing in its manufacturing workforce. This has been the second wage increase this year and it applies to all hourly manufacturing employees at Chobani’s South Edmeston, New York plant.
“We announced this in response to different things. First, we know that inflation has been going up. But truly our goal is to become a leader in the marketplace to recognize our employees that the best the market has to offer and then to attract them. Everything that our employees have to buy like gas, rent to going to the grocery stores has gone up. And we recognize the burden that has been put on our employees,” he said.
Before, Chobani made donations to a variety of community departments to build its local impact as an upstate-based company. “We have a diverse workforce. We have a good
relationship with the refugee center. All of them are definitely benefiting from this wage increase,” he said.
Chobani hopes that this would eventually pay off in employees’ productivity and engagement.
“We are offering this increase in addition to keeping our competitive benefits package. It has been with cheers and claps and high fives. They have been very appreciative. We want to be able to attract people who can help us go to the next level,” he said.