On August 2, over 1,100 members of UFCW Local 663 who work at Quality Pork Processors (QPP) in Austin, Minn., ratified a new contract that includes historic wage increases.
The three-year contract includes a record-setting 15.6 percent wage increase for the members at QPP. Workers will see a $2.20 per hour wage increase in the first year alone, and a total increase of $3.10 per hour over the three-year agreement. On top of the increase, workers will also receive a $200 ratification bonus, and improvements to their vision and dental benefits.
“I’ll be celebrating this contract with my co-workers” said Josh Nelson, who is employed in the cut department at QPP. “Having the negotiations room packed with members won us more money than we ever have before.”
“The workers at QPP stood together to demand a contract that values their hard work with fair wages and dignity,” said UFCW Local 663 President Rena Wong. “In Austin, a proud union town, workers made it clear: fair pay isn’t optional, it’s necessary.”
This is the second major contract victory for meatpacking workers in Austin in the last two years. In 2023, Hormel workers also won a major wage increase, setting a new meatpacking industry standard.