Congratulations To Our Foster Farms Members On Their Successful Ratification Of Their Union Contract!!
UFCW Local 455 and the Foster Poultry Farms Company reached a 3-year agreement for all bargaining unit employees. Here are some of the benefit improvements included in the new contract:
- Resolved missing ULP wage grievances. The company offered the 12/3/23 wage increase to Production & Maintenance with retroactivity upon ratification for the workers hired on or before 12/3/23, and for workers hired after 12/3/23 to present, they have been offered a lump sum payout of the retro owed from 12/3/23 upon ratification. Over $2.3 million grievance settlement.
- Language improvement to workers attendance point system: workers will receive 2 additional attendance points, zero out points for all employees upon ratification, and improve point language to absences due to medical.
- Improve and uphold standards of treatment to all workers.
- Improve safety concerns in the workplace.
- Improve grievance procedure language.
- Wage Increases, Premiums and Progressionary scale: Workers will receive new premiums and the previous progressionary scale will be updated to reflect the new yearly wage increases.
- A $200 ratification bonus will be paid out to all employees, and a yearly increase for eligible Red Circled Production and Maintenance employees’ hired on or before 12/3/2023.
- Workers scheduled under 40 hours a week are eligible to volunteer for extra hours on either side of the plant.
- Eliminated the 2-tiered vacation scale and now all employees will be able to qualify for up to 5 weeks of vacation.
- Improved birthday holiday language inclusivity; all workers will now receive a guaranteed birthday holiday.
- Company will post weekly shift work notices for workers that are desiring to volunteer for both Processing and Cook plants work shifts.
- Strengthen language to have stewards act upon the members and the Local best interests, provide the local with an office to conduct Union business, and provide an extended orientation talk time to meet new hires.
- Improve LOAs and increase the number of workers the Local can bring out on Union LOAs.
- Expand funeral leave language, domestic partners, and adopted and stepchildren are now part of funeral leave and workers will get paid what they are scheduled accordingly.
- Strengthened language so that workers don’t have to wait for a supervisor to be relieved from the line to use the restroom.
- Language to enforce Weingarten Rights, discipline, and counseling meetings must be done with Union representation present.
- Improve disciplinary language; write-ups will be removed after 12 months instead of 18 months.
- Health insurance: The company will adopt the 80/20 plan design in the company’s 2024 plan.
- Tool allowance will double to $50 per month for Maintenance/Refrigeration workers and they will now receive $150 per year in a boot allowance. Workers that are required to wear uniforms will be provided by the Company at no cost.
- Double time: Refrigeration will receive double time after the 7th consecutive day, consistent with Maintenance workers.
- Hazmat premium: Workers that are HAZMAT certified will receive $1.00 per hour for all hours worked.
- Longevity incentives will be paid out to workers upon ratification and on their anniversary date following the years of the CBA. 5 to 9 years of service will receive $250, 10 to 14 years of service will receive $350, and 15+ years of service will receive $450.
- Strengthen the language to clarify that workers on the night and evening shifts will receive the premiums for all hours worked and receive the higher premium if an evening shift worker (2nd shift) works into the night shift (3rd shift).
The expiration of this agreement is on July 30, 2028.
Thanks to all of our hard-working members who supported the Union and their efforts in helping to secure this contract!
