Negotiators for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union representing employees at the Sioux Falls, SD. hog plant are backed by a 98 percent vote by workers to strike if wage and other demands are not met.
The plant produces approximately five percent of the U.S. pork processed, with implications extending from growers through to retail. In 2020 the Sioux Falls plant was impacted by COVID during March through May and the workforce has not returned to pre-COVID strength. The Union notes that workers have left the plant for other facilities offering superior wages and benefits and also to other industries as the economy improves.
In a statement issued by Smithfield Foods, the company notes that the initial offer rejected by the Union was “in full alignment with agreements that UFCW has already accepted at other plants.” Unless resolved quickly, contentious negotiations will create uncertainty for hog producers over the next few months.