Bargaining Updates
 

September 30, 2008

 

MGPI Workers on Strike

(Atchinson, Kansas)- United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local #74D representing workers at MGP Ingredients, Inc. in Atchison, Ks. announced Friday that members voted not to ratify the latest contract proposal from the company. Effective at 8 am, Saturday, September 27, the local went on strike, enacting a work stoppage at the plant for the first time in 30 years. 

Chris Pruessner, vice-president of the local union, said that the work stoppage is due to quality of life issues for his 140 members. MGPI offers no sick days; thus forcing employees to use vacation days when ill to avoid attendance violations. As MGPI is a food grade facility, sick workers could potentially contaminate products. In addition to food-grade alcohol and ethanol, MGPI manufactures ingredients for products such as bakery products, including batters, mixes, cookies and pastries; breadings and coatings; cereals and snacks, and pasta.

"The primary issue results from tremendous amounts of overtime--a problem the company feels is caused by abuse of the attendance policy," Pruessner said.

 "However, the union believes that the overtime is created due to shortages in the workforce and the company's vacation approval policy, which grants vacation to only one person in each department per shift. People oftentimes have to call in to deal with family issues or even certain family events due to vacation denials." 

In addition, the company's proposed contract also allows no time off to care for sick children, unless the illness qualifies under the Federal Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

The work stoppage came after over two months of negotiations with the company. MGPI Ingredients denied the local workers a contract extension on September 17. The local authorized a strike contingent on future negotiations in a meeting held September 19. After meeting with the company on September 24, union officials presented the members with the company's latest proposal. The members voted the proposal down with a vote of 114 against the proposal and 14 for acceptance of the proposal. 

The local desires to have the contract language left the way it read in the previous contract which expired Aug. 31, 2008. Union officials are hoping to meet with the company at some point this week in order to work on resolving these issues.