Hormel union workers reach tentative agreement

AUSTIN, Minn. (FOX 9) - Union workers at Hormel in Austin, Minnesota, have reached a tentative agreement with the company after ongoing negotiations.

According to a press release, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 663 union members reached the agreement on Oct. 4. Details of the agreement haven't been shared publicly as of this writing. 

"We unanimously recommend this tentative agreement to our fellow union members at Hormel. We are grateful for the strength our coworkers showed throughout this bargaining process to keep our voices heard. When we show up for each other, we see each other, and only together will we succeed because we are a union," the UFCW Local 663 union bargaining committee said in a statement. 

Workers will vote to ratify the contract on Monday, Oct. 9. In September, workers rejected an offer from the company.

UFCW Local 663 represents more than 17,000 meat packing and processing, food preparation, food manufacturing, healthcare, and other workers in Minnesota. 

Hormel statement

"We are pleased that we have reached a new, four-year tentative agreement with the unions representing our team members in Atlanta, GA, Austin, MN, Algona, IA and Beloit, WI. We are proud to continuously invest in our people in recognition of the work they do to put the safe, quality food that consumers trust and need on tables across the globe. We appreciate the negotiators on both sides of the table who bargained in good faith to reach this tentative agreement, and we are hopeful the contract will be ratified in the upcoming vote next week."