PACKINGHOUSE WORKERS WIN SOLID WAGE AND BENEFITS INCREASES WITH SMITHFIELD FOODS

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.ufcw.org/press_room/index.cfm?pressReleaseID=418

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 02, 2009

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PACKINGHOUSE WORKERS WIN SOLID WAGE AND BENEFITS INCREASES WITH SMITHFIELD FOODS

Workers in Mason City Iowa and Crete Nebraska Ratify New Contracts that

(Washington, DC) – Two new contracts—one covering 1800 Smithfield/Farmland Foods workers in Crete, Neb., and the other covering 250 Smithfield/Armour Eckrich workers in Mason City, Iowa—raise living standards for meatpacking workers and their families. The contracts negotiated by members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Locals 271 and 6 provide solid wage increases, lower worker health care costs with improved health care benefits, and retirement security.

More than 10,000 workers at twelve UFCW local unions that are bargaining (or have recently settled) new contracts with Smithfield have been taking unified worksite actions over the past eight months. This unified bargaining approach is sending a strong message to Smithfield that UFCW members are willing to stick together for contracts that raise working conditions and living standards for meatpacking workers across the industry. One of the goals of the program was to show UFCW members at each plant that no one stood alone. Unity bargaining is producing the best contracts in the pork industry and changing the lives of workers.

“We just settled a contract that secures middle class wages and benefits for our families and we did it by working together with our UFCW brothers and sisters in Nebraska and across the country, said Bob Hampton,” chief steward at Local 6 in Mason City. “Smithfield workers are sticking together to make Smithfield jobs quality, middle class jobs you can raise a family on.”

In Mason City, the new four-year contract:

--Increases wages by $1.40 over the four year term of the contract.