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Food Processing Workers in New Jersey Ratify a New Contract

Members of UFCW Local 152 who work at Old Fashioned Kitchen in Lakewood, N.J., ratified a new contract on Jan. 14. The about 50 members help to produce blintzes, pancakes and pierogies, which are sold to hospitality and restaurant businesses across the country.

The three-year contract includes across-the-board wage increases, along with guaranteed yearly increases for the life of the contract. Additionally, all members will receive a one-time ratification bonus, and members with more than 10 years of service will receive a one-time longevity bonus.

Through hard bargaining, the employer agreed to increase contributions to the Supplemental Pension and Savings Fund, which will provide our members with the means to plan for a more comfortable retirement. Affordable union health care benefits were also maintained and bereavement leave was expanded. In addition, a new provision was added to the contract requiring that all records of disciplinary actions be removed after one year.

Poultry Workers in Mississippi Ratify a First Contract

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.