Smithfield Foods announced that recently concluded negotiations for an extension of a labor agreement for the Smithfield. VA. plant was ratified by 98 percent of members.
The Teamsters Local 822 obtained a $2 rise in starting wage together with benefits and increases over the next three years.
Smithfield Foods estimates that the contract is valued at more than $29 million over three years The increase in wages and benefits reflects the current inflationary environment and the growing power of labor even in rural areas.