Workers at Cargill’s packing plant in High River have overwhelmingly voted for a contract that will hike wages by 21 per cent and provide improved health benefits.
“The contract is the best of its kind and presented unprecedented gains in this time of economic and political uncertainty,” United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 said in a statement.
Last month, the 2,000-plus employees at the High River facility voted heavily in favour of going on strike and Dec. 6 was set as a strike date. However, a new agreement was hammered out after intense negotiations.
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In addition to a 21 per cent wage increase (a $5-an-hour hike) over the life of the contract, the union also said many workers would receive more than $6,000 in bonuses — up to $4,200 in retroactive pay, a $1,000 signing bonus, and a $1,000 “COVID-19 bonus.”
The virus overshadowed the negotiations, which followed in the wake of two major outbreaks at the High River plant. The first in April 2020 resulted in a two-week shutdown, with half of the workforce reportedly infected by the virus. Two employees died after contracting COVID-19.
“As the site of North America’s largest COVID-19 outbreak, it has been a challenging time for the workers and their families,” UFCW Local 401 said in its statement.
The plant can slaughter about 4,500 cattle per day, about 36 per cent of Canada’s domestic beef-processing capacity.
The union said it will now focus on upcoming contract talks at the country’s other big processing plant, the JBS facility at Brooks, where it represents 2,500 employees.
