Workers at Hormel Foods’ Austin, Minn., plant voted to reject what was called a “final” contract offer from the processor late last week, a move that wasn’t unexpected by most following the storyline.
However, the two sides avoided a strike — at least temporarily — as they agreed to a short-term extension of the current contract to October 8, local news reports said. UFCW Local 663 conducted the vote of more than 1,600 meatpacking workers from the company’s legacy facility, stating that workers “overwhelmingly” voted against the proposal.
The workers believe Hormel’s proposal simply isn’t “good enough” in light of “record profits” the company has seen recently. Hormel, for its part, stressed optimism that new negotiations would produce an agreement on both sides.
The union had urged its membership to vote against the contract offer, saying that the workforce still had not been properly rewarded for the “huge sacrifices” made during the Covid-19 pandemic to keep the company running.
