Workers at the Massillon, Ohio, Purina plant voted to join UFCW Local 880 earlier this summer. Safety and access to healthcare are top issues for the 40 employees who are concerned about air-quality issues, low wages, and increasing health insurance costs.
Employees at several other Purina animal feed plants around the country are already unionized, and UFCW organizers say there’s a $5.00 hourly wage gap between union workers and those without representation.
UFCW Local 880 organizer Dennis Baker said the win came through standard tactics. “Trust and communication were the keys to organizing the workers. I never let them feel like I was not there for them.” Baker hopes a strong contract will be negotiated in the coming months.