Avoiding a strike, Smithfield union votes to accept new contract

The membership of the union representing workers at the Smithfield Foods plant in Sioux Falls has voted to accept a new contract with the company, the union announced on Friday.

B.J. Motley, president of the Union Food and Commercial Workers Local 304A, said the new contract sends a message to the industry that companies need to recognize the sacrifices meatpacking plant employees made during the coronavirus pandemic. In the early weeks of the pandemic, the Smithfield plant was the nation's most active hot spot for COVID-19 cases.

More:Sioux Falls' Smithfield union threatens to strike if plant doesn't agree to new contract

“As the union for these South Dakota frontline workers, UFCW Local 304A was proud to stand with our union’s members to secure this strong contract with the fair pay, good benefits, and critical safety protections they have earned and deserve," Motley said in a statement announcing the contract vote. "Ensuring these jobs continue to provide the good pay and benefits working families need is the best way for us to honor our country’s essential workers.”

The new contract includes a base rate of $18.75 an hour, up from $17, and a $520 bonus. Employees, many of whom are immigrants, will also get the options to take leaves of absence of between one and three weeks. The new contract also retains a 15-minute break for employees working eight-hour shifts that the company wanted to eliminate.

The union had voted June 3 to authorize a strike after Motley said that Smithfield wanted the workers to pay more for health care and refused to increase salaries to comparable rates of other meatpacking plants in the region.

Nearly 1,300 workers at the pork processing plant tested positive for COVID-19, and four workers lost their lives. The outbreak in Sioux Falls highlighted how vulnerable meatpacking plants were during the pandemic, as coronavirus surged through plants across the nation.

More:Sioux Falls' Smithfield union reps reach contract agreement; members to vote next week