Over 2,000 members of UFCW Local 431 who work at the Tyson Foods pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, recently ratified a new contract that raises wages and protects benefits.
The new five-year contract includes a wage base and starting rate of $18 per hour, along with a $1.00 per hour attendance bonus for workers in both the first and second shifts and a night shift differential of $1.00. The contract also maintains quality health care benefits for these workers and improves access to their union representatives at the plant.
“This is a contract that the employees at Tyson Waterloo can be proud of,” said UFCW Local 431 President Bob Waters. “These hard-working men and women have been working through this pandemic to keep America fed, and UFCW Local 431 will continue to strive to get the best contracts for our members in the industry.”
“This contract includes the wages and benefits our members at Tyson Foods have earned and deserve,” said International Vice President and Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division Director Mark Lauritsen. “The UFCW will continue to push other employers to follow the lead of Tyson Foods with the goal of raising standards for all meatpacking and food processing workers.”