Cargill workers vote in favour of new contract

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 crisis the world has ever seen,” reads the union announcement.

Earlier this week, UFCW Local 401 said that that while they wouldn’t release the exhaustive outline of the offer, in their words it included:

• As much as $4,200 in retroactive pay for many Cargill union members,
• A $1,000 signing bonus,
• A $1,000 COVID-19 bonus,
• A more than a $6,000 total bonus for many members 3 weeks before Christmas,
• A $5.00 wage increase (21% over the contract) for many employees that is well above industry standards,
• Improved health benefits (psychology, massage therapy, etc.) for Cargill workers and their families, and
• Significant contract provisions to facilitate a new culture of health, safety, dignity, and respect in the workplace.

The union is calling it a “bittersweet victory for Cargill workers.”