Workers at Great Lakes Specialty Meats vote union “Yes!”

Over 80 workers at Great Lakes Specialty Meats in Mitchell, Ontario are the union’s newest packing house members after recently voting “Yes!” to joining UFCW Canada Local 175.

In addition to joining one of North America’s largest and most innovative Local Unions, the new members also join over 40,000 food processing workers across the country.

The Great Lakes Specialty Meats facility is owned by Quality Meats – which employs more UFCW Canada members at other locations – and currently processes over 1,000 hogs per day, with plans to quadruple production in the near future.  

Local 175 & 633 organizing representatives Tony Nigro and Joe Pereira report the new members “were ecstatic” to win the vote and join Canada’s leading and most progressive union. Brothers Nigro and Pereira both identify health and safety as the campaign’s driving issue, along with the need to be treated with more respect by management.

To find out more about Locals 175 & 633, visit www.ufcw175.com.