Farmland Foods contract talks under way
By Molly Montag, Journal staff writer | Posted: Saturday, September 20, 2008
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Union leaders and Farmland Foods officials are negotiating a contract this weekend for approximately 1,500 hourly workers at the company's Denison, Iowa, pork plant.
Workers, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International, are scheduled to meet for a ratification meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday at Denison High School.
Union leaders said Friday that they hope to have an acceptable contract to present.
Local 440 representative Leo Kanne said the sticking points are wages and health care. The previous contract, which lasted four years, expires at midnight Sunday.
"Everybody knows the prices of food and fuel and just everything in general is rising around us," said Kanne, also a worker at the plant. "We just want to maintain our standards of living."
The Denison plant is one of nine pork-processing facilities run by Farmland Foods of Kansas City, Mo., which has approximately 8,400 employees and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Smithfield Foods of Smithfield, Va.
Denison employees slaughter and process hogs for fresh pork products, bacon and ham.
Union representatives and company officials have been meeting in Council Bluffs, Iowa, working toward an equitable agreement, Kanne said, trying to get a contract signed and avoid the possibility of a strike.
"We don't want to strike," Kanne said. "A strike doesn't help anybody, but we need to get a good contract. We need to maintain our standards of living."
Kanne wouldn't say whether union officials are asking for higher wages and better health-care benefits or if workers are being asked to make concessions or stay at current wage and benefit levels.
Efforts to reach company officials Friday evening were unsuccessful.
Workers, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International, are scheduled to meet for a ratification meeting at 1 p.m. Sunday at Denison High School.
Union leaders said Friday that they hope to have an acceptable contract to present.
Local 440 representative Leo Kanne said the sticking points are wages and health care. The previous contract, which lasted four years, expires at midnight Sunday.
"Everybody knows the prices of food and fuel and just everything in general is rising around us," said Kanne, also a worker at the plant. "We just want to maintain our standards of living."
The Denison plant is one of nine pork-processing facilities run by Farmland Foods of Kansas City, Mo., which has approximately 8,400 employees and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Smithfield Foods of Smithfield, Va.
Denison employees slaughter and process hogs for fresh pork products, bacon and ham.
Union representatives and company officials have been meeting in Council Bluffs, Iowa, working toward an equitable agreement, Kanne said, trying to get a contract signed and avoid the possibility of a strike.
"We don't want to strike," Kanne said. "A strike doesn't help anybody, but we need to get a good contract. We need to maintain our standards of living."
Kanne wouldn't say whether union officials are asking for higher wages and better health-care benefits or if workers are being asked to make concessions or stay at current wage and benefit levels.
Efforts to reach company officials Friday evening were unsuccessful.
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A. Jurofsky wrote on Sep 20, 2008 4:15 PM: