Deere and Company employees this week again rejected a tentative contract agreement. By a vote of 45 percent yes to 55 percent no, United Auto Workers John Deere members voted down the agreement. UAW says the strike will continue as they discuss next steps with the company. This is the second tentative contract agreement rejected by Deere workers during the …
Deere, UAW, Reach Tentative Agreement
Deere & Co and United Auto Workers International reached a tentative new contract. The agreement could lead to the end of a worker strike. The deal was announced over the weekend, but needs to be approved by UAW members first. Chuck Browning, UAW Vice President and Director of the Agricultural Implement Department, says the agreement contains enhanced economic gains and …
Stay Vigilant on Handwashing and Hygiene
If you visited any public building or restroom during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have noticed an increased focus on handwashing and hygiene principles reflected in an abundance of signage on doors and in hallways. While it is great that public awareness has increased in the last 18 months, these have always been important principles, especially for all food-related businesses. …
Price Spread for Pork Products Increases as Processing Plant Labor Shortages Continue
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen longstanding labor shortages in the U.S. pork processing industry. Because the production of deboned products requires more labor, associated prices are higher than bone-in product prices, which have smaller labor requirements, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service. When labor shortages are severe, as in the spring of 2020, when COVID-19-related infections of processing plant …
“No” to Immigration Reform – Ag Labor in Limbo?
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled against the Democrats’ plan to provide eight million green cards as a part of their $3.5 trillion spending bill. The Hill says that decision makes getting immigration reform to President Biden’s desk that much harder. MacDonough’s guidance all but closes the door on Democrats’ chances to be able to use the spending bill as a …
NPPC Asks Congress to Address Agricultural Labor Shortage
With a scheduled vote in the U.S. House set for Monday, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is calling on Congress to include in a budget reconciliation bill language to expand the existing H-2A visa to year-round agricultural workers. Like many sectors of the economy, the U.S. pork industry is faced with a severe labor shortage. But even before the …
AFBF Urges USDA to Address Supply Chain Issues
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) recently sent a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack detailing a list of solutions to address critical supply chain issues facing America’s farmers and ranchers. AFBF detailed seven priorities for USDA to consider in response to President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains. Recommendations they ask USDA to consider action on include: Livestock markets …
USDA Invests Millions in Grants to Provide Relief to Farm and Food Workers Impacted by COVID-19
(WASHINGTON, September 7, 2021) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that $700 million in competitive grant funding will be available through the new Farm and Food Workers Relief (FFWR) grant program to help farmworkers and meatpacking workers with pandemic-related health and safety costs. The announcement was made in press call with United Farm Workers Foundation Executive Director Diana Tellefson Torres and …
Protect Against the COVID-19 Delta Variant
If you would have asked us last September if there would still be a need to write a tip about COVID-19 a year later, our answer would have been, “We sure hope not.” So, what’s changed? The simplest explanation is the emergence of the Delta variant. When you hear us talk about food safety, we don’t often talk about variants. …
Tyson Foods, Unions Reach Deal on COVID-10 Vaccine Mandate
Tyson Foods says that labor unions agreed to support its requirement for U.S. employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by November. Reuters says the company will offer new benefits to workers including paid sick leave. Companies like Tyson have been trying to give employees incentives to get vaccinated through bonuses and other benefits as the Delta Strain pushes case numbers …