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On August 8, UFCW Local 1776 and Cargill announced the opening of a near-site health center for Cargill workers in Hazleton, Pa.

The over 700 Cargill workers at the Hazleton plant are members of UFCW Local 1776 and produce beef products for sale at supermarkets. The center, which will be managed by Marathon Health, will provide convenient access to high quality care and preventative screenings for UFCW Local 1776 members and their families.

“With partnerships like these, Cargill, Marathon Health and Local 1776 are leading the way for meaningful change in the lives of workers,” said UFCW Local 1776 President Wendell W. Young, IV. “We are proud to have negotiated this benefit for members who work at Cargill, and look forward to using this program as a model for our members who work in other facilities, as well.”

On August 3, 23 members of UFCW Local 152 who work for the borough of Bradley Beach in Monmouth County, N.J., ratified a new contract by an overwhelming margin. The Bradley Beach workers are employed in the borough’s public works department, municipal court, police dispatch, and code enforcement. The borough of Bradley Beach approved the ratified agreement on August 8.

The three-year contract addresses a pressing issue in the public sector in New Jersey—health care contributions. Under Governor Chris Christie, Chapter 78 was passed into law, which called for an increase in public sector workers’ contributions toward their health care and pensions. Despite this hurdle, UFCW Local 152 successfully negotiated a reduction in members’ health care contributions to 20 percent by the third and last year of the agreement.