UFCW Local Approves Four and a Half Year Agreement
Thursday June 10, 6:11 pm ET
PONCA CITY, Oklahoma, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- A new four and a half year labor agreement has been ratified by workers at the Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN - News) processed meats plant in Ponca City, Oklahoma, company officials reported today.
The agreement provides a boost in pay and improvements in benefits that will keep this plant competitive with similar operations," according to Dave Corsair, general manager of Tyson's Ponca City plant. "We appreciate our team members' support of our contract offer and their continued dedication to the success of this plant."
The new contract with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1000 takes effect immediately. It includes a ratification bonus of $250 and pay increases for production workers over the first 49 months of the 55-month agreement. These increases will eventually move the plant's base production wage to $10.25 an hour and top production pay to $11.25 an hour.
Starting production pay at the plant has been increased to $8 an hour. The new contract also moves the starting rate for maintenance workers to $11 an hour and provides additional increases that will eventually move top maintenance pay to $14.95.
Various benefit changes, which take effect January 1, 2005, are also part of the new contract approved by UFCW members. For example, the contract includes implementation of the same Tyson health care plan currently in place at virtually all of the company's other facilities, including other union plants. Under Tyson's basic medical plan, the company pays for 75% of the cost while workers contribute 25%.
Other benefit changes include the addition of the Tyson Foods stock purchase plan and an expanded 401k retirement savings plan that includes larger matching contributions from the company.
Ponca City team members will also receive an additional holiday, giving them a total of eight paid holidays per year. This total is consistent with most of Tyson's other facilities. Ponca City workers who have completed ten years of service will also qualify for three weeks of paid vacation.
The Ponca City plant employs almost 600 people, including 500 who are represented by Local 1000. The plant produces a variety of deli-style luncheon meats, such as bologna loaf, pickle loaf and salami. The luncheon meats are sold under such brand names as Tyson, Russer, Wilson and Thorn Apple Valley.
Tyson Foods operates similar processed meat facilities in Cherokee, Iowa; Independence, Iowa and Houston, Texas.
Tyson Foods, Inc., founded in 1935 with headquarters in Springdale, Arkansas, is the world's largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef and pork and the second largest food company in the Fortune 500. Tyson Foods produces a wide variety of brand name protein-based and prepared food products marketed in the United States and more than 80 countries around the world. Tyson Foods is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves. The Company has approximately 120,000 team members and 300 facilities and offices in 26 states and 22 countries.
Posted by UFCW 227 at June 10, 2004 11:33 PM