HYRUM, Utah — Meatpacking workers at the JBS plant in Hyrum have a new labor contract.
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), the union representing workers at the Hyrum plant and other JBS facilities across the country, says the agreement will pay employees between $23-24 per hour, and for the first time, they will have paid sick leave.
The deal also creates a pension fund.
"Every employer in the meatpacking industry should follow JBS’s leadership and reintroduce pension plans for the hard-working men and women who keep America fed," Mark Lauritsen with UFCW said in a statement on Monday.
In 2020, FOX 13 News reported on hundreds of workers at the Hyrum plant testing positive for COVID-19 in the early weeks of the pandemic.
The new contract also creates committees to address safety.
"This contract also establishes new ergonomic safety measures to reduce workplace injury and fatigue, allows for dedicated walking stewards, and strengthens safety committees to ensure that workers are consistently protected across JBS facilities," Lauritsen said.
The new contract covers 26,000 workers at 14 facilities across the country.
