September 8, 2015
By John Quinn, LaborPress USA
Wheat Ridge, Colorado — Workers at Denver Processing, a meatpacking facility owned by Ledbetter Foods, have voted overwhelmingly to approve a new four-year contract. The employees are members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7, one of Colorado’s largest private sector unions. The contract includes wage increases, improved working conditions, and continued job security.
“When workers across the country are being forced to accept less, workers at Denver Processing have been able to stand together for real improvements at their workplace,” said Kim Cordova, president of UFCW Local 7. “It’s a testament to the power of united workers and a union voice that their jobs are getting better while so many others have jobs that are getting worse.”
While negotiations were headlined by a fight for wages and benefits, the negotiating team was able to gain important work rule changes and resolve safety issues.
“We want to do our job efficiently and safely so our company can succeed,” said Richard Garcia, a five year veteran of the plant, “but we also want to support our families. Our new contract ensures that we can do both and I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved.”
Workers at the large plant process meat from carcasses into the consumer-ready products. The company was owned by Kroger, until it was sold to Ledbetter Foods.
*** The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers.
