The labour dispute between Cargill and staff at a plant in the US looks to have come to an end after staff approved a deal with the meat-processing giant.
The agreement is set to bring a stop to a three-month dispute that halted normal operations at the site in Colorado.
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In a statement published on Facebook yesterday (17 August), Teamsters Local 455 said members who work at the facility in Fort Morgan had “overwhelmingly ratified” the deal.
The union said the vote will pave the way for workers to return to their jobs under a phased process over the next 30 days.
“While this contract is not perfect, it is a legally binding agreement that provides security for the more than 1,700 men and women who keep Cargill running,” Teamsters Local 455 said.
The union added it would contact members in the coming days to explain the return-to-work process and said it expects Cargill to do the same.
“This process may be bumpy as different job classifications return on different schedules but our members will make it through the process together,” the statement read.
Just Food has contacted Cargill for comment.
Earlier this month, staff at the site rejected a tentative deal struck between Cargill and union officials, extending the stand-off at the plant.
The dispute began in May, when Cargill locked out more than 1,700 workers after employees voted against what the company had described as its latest contract offer.
Teamsters Local 455 had said the row centred on demands for improvements to wages, healthcare and safety protections.
At the time, Cargill said the proposal represented an estimated $33.4m investment over five years and described the offer as “fair and competitive”.
During the dispute, cattle allocated to Fort Morgan were redirected to other Cargill facilities in Kansas, Nebraska and Texas.
Teamsters Local 455 said it will remain active at the site as the new agreement is implemented.
“Teamsters Local 455 will continue to be on the ground in Fort Morgan to build strength and solidarity at Cargill and to enforce the terms and conditions of the new agreement,” the union said.
Cargill has been making adjustments to its processing network in the US.
In February, the company said it would shut its ground-beef processing plant in Milwaukee in Wisconsin. The move led to the “permanent” removal of around 221 jobs.
Last year, the company also closed its turkey-processing site in Springdale, Arkansas. That factory produced fresh and frozen turkey products, bone-in turkey breasts and case-ready items.
