Hormel plant workers vote down contract; Scheduling changes among sticking points
Published 10:36 am Thursday, October 1, 2015
Hormel Foods Corp. and its Austin plant employees are going back to the drawing board after plant workers voted down a proposed three-year contract earlier this week.
Some sticking points in the contact include proposed scheduling changes, higher insurance deductibles and a near-site health clinic, along with other healthcare changes, according to reports and a copy of the contract obtained by the Herald.
Hormel issued a statement stating it would continue to work toward a deal with its roughly 1,500 bargaining unit employees at the Austin plant.
“While we had hoped that the contract would have been accepted with this vote, we will continue to negotiate with our goal being to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement,” the company’s statement read.
Representatives with the United Food & Commercial Workers Union could not be reached for comment.