About 750 members of UFCW Local 1529 who work at the Peco Foods poultry processing plant in West Point, Miss., ratified their first union contract on Dec. 18. This ratification marks a significant victory for these workers, who stood together for better wages and benefits in the face of anti-union activity during a year-long negotiation process.
These workers joined our union in 2024 after a hard-fought organizing campaign out of concerns about insufficient wages, and the new, three-year contract addresses that issue and more. The contract includes major hourly wage increases and tenure increases for long-term employees. The contract also provides the workers with extra vacation time and additional holiday pay.
“I am very proud of the employees of Peco Foods for hanging together for three long years and reaching a first contract that was better than expected,” said UFCW Local 1529 President Lonnie Sheppard.
“The organizing program was a journey, and the direction we chose to take was worth the miles we traveled to get our first collective bargaining agreement,” said UFCW Local 1529 Secretary-Treasurer Rose Turner.