Posts Categorized: Meat Packing

On Feb. 3, the UFCW announced its support for the reintroduction of the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act.

This legislation, introduced by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Representative Ro Khanna (Calif.-17), would provide essential protections to meatpacking workers across the country by strengthening worker safety provisions, increasing transparency, and supporting American jobs in an industry that continues to feel strains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Meatpacking and food processing workers risked their health and safety as essential workers every single day during the height of the pandemic to ensure American families had food on the table,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement. “While our union was able to fight for and secure many protections for our members, every single worker in this industry deserves the essential protections that meat and poultry processing companies are still failing to provide.”

“The UFCW stands firmly with Senator Booker and Representative Khanna as they reintroduce the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act,” Perrone added. “This critically important legislation will be instrumental in protecting workers, holding the industry accountable, and making our food system more resilient. Americans should be able to trust that the food they put on the table comes from American workers who are protected on the job.”

Over 300 workers at the Daily’s Premium Meats plant in St. Joseph, Mo., joined UFCW Local 2 in November and ratified their first contract in December. Daily’s Premium Meats is a bacon processing plant, and these workers produce sliced prepackaged bacon.  

UFCW Local 2 organizers have been meeting with workers at the Daily’s Premium Meats plant in St. Joseph since the plant opened in 2017. These workers joined our union family because they wanted the better wages and benefits that their unionized colleagues have at the Seaboard Triumph Foods plant in Sioux City, Iowa, who are members of UFCW Local 222, and the Triumph Foods plant in St. Joseph, Mo., who are members of UFCW Local 2. Daily’s Premium Meats is owned by Seaboard Foods and Triumph Foods, and the vote took place via card check on Nov. 18.A month later, on Dec. 4, these workers ratified their first union contract with UFCW Local 2.

The three-year contract includes:

• A one-time ratification signing bonus of $500
• A perfect attendance bonus built into the base rate and an additional $1.00 per hour
• 33 guaranteed hours of work
• A grievance procedure
• An earned time off program, with up to nine additional paid days off per year
• Double time pay for work on Sunday
• A 401(k) 6 percent match
• Seniority rights

“A union will make a tremendous difference at our plant, with better wages, better benefits and a better workplace for our company,” said Clinton Eldrege, who has worked for the Daily’s Premium Meats plant in St. Joseph for five years.