Issues & Insights

Unionized workers at Cargill High River have accepted the company’s new offer, according to UFCW Local 401. Voting wrapped up on Saturday, with 71 percent in favour of the contract. “The contract is the best of its kind and presented unprecedented gains in this time of economic and political uncertainty and during the biggest health…

Unionized employees at Cargill will begin voting on an updated offer proposed by Cargill on Thursday. The union representing those employees, UCFW, Local 401 says that while they won’t release the exhaustive outline of the offer, in their words it includes: As much as $4,200 in retroactive pay for many Cargill union members, A $1,000…

According to United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), Local 401, Cargill union members voted down Cargill’s contract offer by a 98 percent margin this week. “Cargill workers have told their employer through another overwhelming vote that they matter and that they deserve something more,” said UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse. “We will be…

By Tony Seskus · CBC News n the last two years, Prairie ranchers have been dealing with drought, soaring feed costs and pandemic disruptions that led to massive cattle backlogs.  Now they are watching — and hoping — for progress on labour negotiations at the Cargill meat-packing plant in High River, Alta. The union representing workers at the plant issued a strike…

By Doug Ferguson, for The Western Producer Alberta Beef Producers is facing tough decisions about its future as an advocate for ranchers and farmers because of checkoff refunds. The organization refunds almost half the check-off dollars collected from producers. Alberta Beef Producers funding reaches critical turning point “It’s having a tremendous effect on us,” said chair…

Farmers and ranchers in British Columbia are dealing with the devastation of flooding and mudslides that are causing feed and milk transportation disruptions, evacuations, and forcing some livestock owners to abandon their animals. On Tuesday, the City of Abbotsford issued an urgent notice to residents of Sumas Prairie — part of the Fraser Lowland —…

On Wednesday, United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), Local 401 served Cargill with a strike notice. “We have conducted a strike vote in accordance with the requirements of the Labour Relations Code,” reads the notice from UFCW Local 401 President Thomas Hesse. “The results of that strike vote present an overwhelming desire to engage…

The Government of Alberta is looking for public feedback on ways to promote economic development in rural Alberta. Increasing investment plays a key factor in recovering economically from the COVID-19 pandemic, the global collapse of energy prices, and the worst economic downturn in almost a century. Discussions and feedback collected will ensure our rural communities…

In 2003, just as scientists were putting the finishing touches on the human genome mapping project, and while 32 countries struggled to stop the spread of SARS, a single domestic case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was detected on an Alberta farm, closing international borders to Canadian beef and cattle sales for almost two decades….