Members at ADM ratify new agreement – UFCW 401

Members at ADM ratify new agreement – UFCW 401Calgary – May 29, 2018 – UFCW Canada Local 401 members working at Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) have achieved a new collective agreement. The ADM members sort, grind, mix, and test grains at the company’s Calgary facility.

The new deal comes after months of difficult negotiations with the global food processing conglomerate.

“This mediated settlement was achieved with considerable effort and resolve by the union bargaining committee,” says Lee Clarke, the lead negotiator for the contract. “ADM is a very difficult employer, and they have kept us busy in litigation over the past couple of years. Bargaining for a new collective agreement was no less strained.”

Highlights of the four-year agreement include:

  • Retroactive pay and wage increases in each year of the agreement;

  • Improved provisions governing union voice and visibility in the workplace;

  • An improved boot allowance; and

  • Important language covering medical notes and employee sickness.

“ADM took a hard line on several issues, but the resolve of our committee was firm, and they successfully fought off numerous concessions proposed by the company,” adds Clarke. “The improvements to union rights in this workplace will go a long way towards improving labour relations.”

“We want to congratulate our members at ADM on this hard-fought battle,” says UFCW Canada Local 401 President Doug O’Halloran, who was also involved in the negotiations. “As companies become bigger and more defiant, we need to have the will and strength to stand our ground. This committee enabled their union to do just that.”

The union bargaining committee was also aided by the tireless efforts of Union Labour Relations Officer Jeff Ible.

With more than 32,000 members in the retail, food, and beverage processing industries, UFCW Canada Local 401 is the largest private sector union in Alberta. To learn more about UFCW 401, visit their website.