Farm and meatpacking workers could get $600 bonus from federal government

Workers on farms and in meatpacking plants who toiled through the pandemic stand to get $600 bonuses from the federal government, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday.

The USDA is putting $700 million toward a fund for food workers, in recognition of the personal costs many experienced during the pandemic. Food industry workers fell ill with COVID-19 at higher rates than other workers; many had to stay home without pay or use their own money for personal protective equipment like masks and gloves. "They've often taken significant personal risk to make sure the rest of us can feed our families," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters on Tuesday.