New Contract for 2,200 Poultry Workers in Georgia (4/29/10)

The workers at Equity poultry processing plant in Camilla, Georgia, fought the company and a racially divided small town back in 1972 to win a RWDSU-voice, and know the importance of having union representation in the poultry processing business, which has some of the most dangerous working conditions in the south. They’ve fought hard to make gains and improvements in the four decades since, and are determined to go forward, not backwards.
And when Equity’s management came after the workers’ health insurance, seniority rights, and other hard-fought benefits, they stood strong and won a new three-year contract that protects what they had gained in the past and also creates new improvements.
“The company came at us hard trying to take away what we had won, so we knew we had to stay together,” said Dorothy Scott, chief steward at Equity. “The stewards spent time communicating with workers, especially the younger ones, and letting everyone know what management was trying to do and why we need to fight for what was ours.”
The solidarity of the workers paid off, and the new contract retains all the previous benefits, while increasing wages every year of the contract. In addition, company’s contributions to the pension fund will increase, and the health insurance benefits are maintained.
A new maintenance training program was also created, which will bring instant wage increases to hundreds of workers, with the potential for advancement for many more.
“The new program allows workers to improve their job classification to workers in the maintenance and refrigeration department, allowing an increase in up to $2 in hourly wages,” said RWDSU Southeast Council Secretary-Treasurer Edgar Fields.
There are 2,200 workers at the Equity poultry plant.