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Farm Business Communications, 9/28/2009
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Locked-out XL workers vote down company's offer
By Staff
Unionized workers at XL Foods' beef packing plant at Moose Jaw, Sask. have "solidly rejected" the latest contract offer from the company which locked them out last week.
The workers, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada) Local 1400, voted against the offer at a meeting Sunday night in Moose Jaw, according to a statement Monday on the union's website.
The workers were just ending a five-month layoff, which XL Foods announced in April, citing a shortage of available slaughter cattle. Just prior to the workers' expected recall date, the union was informed last week that the layoff has been superseded by an indefinite lockout.
The company's offer to the workers, who had been without a contract since Jan. 31, had been pending for some time but the union had wanted to wait until the XL plant had reopened from its shutdown or at least issued recall notices to eligible workers.
Following the lockout notice, the union moved to organize a vote on XL's latest offer.
Phone calls to Norm Neault, president of the UFCW Local 1400 in Regina, and to Patrick Bieleny, chief financial officer at XL Foods' head office in Edmonton, weren't yet returned Monday afternoon.
"We are prepared to recommence operations in Moose Jaw but we require a union contract that will allow us to be competitive in the marketplace," XL's co-CEO Brian Nilsson said in a company release Sept. 18.
"We regret that this lockout has to impact our other employees and suppliers and hope that they will stand by with us until we are able to continue operations in Moose Jaw."
XL added that its buyers would continue to buy cull and fed cattle for its other facilities in Alberta, Nebraska and Idaho.
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© 2009 Business Information Group.
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Business Information Group Privacy Policy
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Locked-out XL workers vote down company's offer
By Staff
Unionized workers at XL Foods' beef packing plant at Moose Jaw, Sask. have "solidly rejected" the latest contract offer from the company which locked them out last week.
The workers, members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Canada) Local 1400, voted against the offer at a meeting Sunday night in Moose Jaw, according to a statement Monday on the union's website.
The workers were just ending a five-month layoff, which XL Foods announced in April, citing a shortage of available slaughter cattle. Just prior to the workers' expected recall date, the union was informed last week that the layoff has been superseded by an indefinite lockout.
The company's offer to the workers, who had been without a contract since Jan. 31, had been pending for some time but the union had wanted to wait until the XL plant had reopened from its shutdown or at least issued recall notices to eligible workers.
Following the lockout notice, the union moved to organize a vote on XL's latest offer.
Phone calls to Norm Neault, president of the UFCW Local 1400 in Regina, and to Patrick Bieleny, chief financial officer at XL Foods' head office in Edmonton, weren't yet returned Monday afternoon.
"We are prepared to recommence operations in Moose Jaw but we require a union contract that will allow us to be competitive in the marketplace," XL's co-CEO Brian Nilsson said in a company release Sept. 18.
"We regret that this lockout has to impact our other employees and suppliers and hope that they will stand by with us until we are able to continue operations in Moose Jaw."
XL added that its buyers would continue to buy cull and fed cattle for its other facilities in Alberta, Nebraska and Idaho.
Table of Contents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2009 Business Information Group.
A member of the esourceNetwork
Business Information Group Privacy Policy