| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 5, 2002 |
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Delmarva Tyson Poultry Workers Gaining Ground With New UFCW Contract Poultry workers at Tyson Foods in Berlin, Maryland are gaining ground with their new union contract. The workers, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 27, overwhelmingly ratified a new three year agreement that brings significant gains for the 450 workers and their families. The union contract improves general wages for workers by 4.3% each year. In certain job classifications, wages increase by over 12% in the first year alone. Workers will also receive an additional 25¢ an hour during the months from April to September. Tyson and UFCW Local 27 worked together on this new contract that raises wages at the Tyson plant to among the highest in the Delmarva poultry industry. The contract also strengthens the workers' health and welfare fund and makes improvements to the workers' vacation benefits. Tyson agreed to provide free equipment for all employees, who had been required to purchase the necessary tools and equipment from the company. The new Tyson contract provides unprecedented protections against discrimination and abuse for new immigrant workers. Building upon the paid funeral leave benefit, workers now have the opportunity to take up to 30 days unpaid funeral leave for situations that involve long-distance travel to attend services. UFCW Local 27 also won the right to provide additional orientation training for new hires and greater in-plant representation for workers. This is the second recent contract win for UFCW Local 27 poultry workers on the Delmarva. Workers at the Mountaire plant in Selbyville, Del. ratified a new contract in early January. Both new contracts make significant gains for workers in the poultry industry and help raise wages, benefits and working conditions for all poultry workers in the region. "This UFCW contract attains the respect and dignity that Tyson workers deserve. Together, along with the Mountaire contract, we're laying the groundwork to raise the standards for poultry workers on the Delmarva and across the country, for living wages, family benefits and workplace protections," said Mark Lauritsen, UFCW Regional Director, Mid-Atlantic Region. Local 27 also represents poultry processing members at Mountaire-Selbyville, Perdue- Showell, Allens-Harbeson and Hurlock, and Perdue Live Haul-Milford. UFCW Local 27 represents 26,000 members in Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. United Food and Commercial Workers Union: A Voice for Working America, www.ufcw.org |
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