Sanderson Farms Inc

Sanderson Farms runs a group-level grievance mechanism. Based on its recent public disclosure, the channel is partially accessible as the company does not state whether it is available to external stakeholders or in which languages it is available.

There is no public information on how the company assesses the effectiveness of its grievance mechanism. Yet, the company states that workers attend an annual three-hour paid training followed by a survey that reaches senior management. It is not clear whether the survey addresses grievance mechanisms and the company does not disclose metrics on survey responses.

The company does not report grievance metrics.

The company does not disclose which channels are available for its employees to report health and safety or worker rights cases.

Sanderson Farms does not disclose the process that it follows to resolve grievances reported through its channel.

The company does not provide disclosure on its paid sick leave policy. The company discloses that it offers free counselling for workers, vision and dental insurance, and that it pays 75% of the premium cost of its health insurance plan for employees and their families. However, it is not clear whether these benefits cover all workers regardless of their employment contract type.

The company does not disclose the economic incentives it offers to workers.

The company discloses that its total workforce is made up of 17,662 employees in 2021, 2,021 (over 11%) of which are salaried and 15,641 are hourly (almost 89%). Sanderson Farms does not disclose whether it hires subcontracted workers.

Unlike in its 2020 disclosure where it discussed grievance mechanism data reported to its Audit Committee, the company does not provide any disclosure on labour metrics reported to its Board beyond accident and injury rates.

Board-level representation: The company does not provide any evidence of Board-level worker representation or alternative mechanisms to ensure worker voice is heard by the Board. Internal committees: Sanderson Farms does not report on internal committees through which worker voice is represented in the company. Dialogue with trade unions: Whilst Sanderson Farms makes a general statement on its respect for the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, the company fails to report on how it supports worker representation through constructive dialogues with legitimate trade unions.

The company provides disclosure on the collective bargaining agreement coverage of its workforce: 2,306 workers are covered across two plants. The company discloses the number of workers covered, by plant, the union representing its workers, and the date of expiry of the agreements. The company does not disclose whether it extends the terms of CBAs to all workers at a plant, regardless of their involvement in the bargaining process.

Automation: The company publicly discloses that it is investing in technology, including automation and innovation, with the outcome of reducing repetitive tasks which can lead to strain and muscle fatigue. However, the company does not disclose an assessment of the impacts of its automation strategy on its workforce. Climate risk: Whilst it has not set an SBT, Sanderson Farms discloses its climate mitigation and water risk management strategies publicly. However, the company does not provide evidence of a risk assessment being carried out on the impacts of this strategy on its workforce.

The company does not show evidence of engaging its workforce or worker representatives on the issues of automation and climate risk mitigation.

The company makes no reference to support for Just Transition in public information.