Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
JBS workers at 14 processing facilities across the country have ratified a historic national contract that includes massive wins like the establishment of a new pension plan for the first time in decades.
The new deal covers 26,000 members who work for one of the world’s largest meat companies. Highlights of the agreement also include significant wage increases—with retroactive pay and a ratification bonus—a paid sick time program, increased leave, establishment of a National Joint Labor-Management Committee and more.
“We applaud UFCW members for ratifying this historic contract,” said Mark Lauritsen, director of the Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division and international vice president at UFCW, in a press release. “Through the collaboration of our Local bargaining committees and the commitment of JBS to providing industry-leading benefits and protections, after nearly 40 years, JBS workers will have a pension retirement plan, giving them a path to a secure financial future. Every employer in the meatpacking industry should follow JBS’s leadership and reintroduce pension plans for the hard-working men and women who keep America fed.”