Georgia Poultry Workers Win Gains

A strong new contract for poultry workers at Koch Foods in Macon, Georgia, has been ratified unanimously by the RWDSU members who work there.

Preparation for contract negotiations began long before face to face meetings with the company. To develop proposals that would have the most impact on members’ lives, Allen Mayne, Director of Collective Bargaining, Sandra Williams, RWDSU Representative and Desire Tillman, RWDSU Organizer, met with workers for over several months. The result was a new, groundbreaking three-year collective bargaining agreement that addressed all of the members’ priorities.

In addition to generous guaranteed annual wage increases in each year of the contract, jobs classification rates were significantly increased and upgraded, resulting contractual raises for members ranging from $1.00 to over $2.00 per hour. The contract also strengthened language on seniority rights throughout the contract. The new contract ends any outsourcing of bargaining unit work, and new grievance and arbitration language expands workers’ rights and ensured fairness throughout the process. The new contract also protects the health care benefits and prohibits any changes.