Raises and Other Improvements Highlight Indiana Dairy Contract (9/14/09)

The 107 RWDSU Local 810 members at Prairie Farms Dairy plants in Fort Wayne and Mishawaka, Indiana, are already enjoying the benefits of their new five-year contract. Besides wage increases of $2.50 an hour over the life of the agreement, members protected their health care coverage and won many benefit improvements, including some they had sought for years.

One of the improvements was a change in the overtime pay system that guarantees time-and-a-half pay for all daily worked hours over eight. Previously, workers had to exceed 40 hours in a week to qualify for overtime pay.

“This is a big improvement, and one that we have been trying to win for years!,” said Kenny Eubanks, a driver who has worked at Prairie Farms since 1974. “Now we know up front that we’ll be getting overtime pay if we work more than eight hours in any single day. It’s a nice part of the new contract.”

The new agreement also increases the shift premium pay, and for the first time expands to cover drivers for the first time, instead of only those working inside the plant. For outside-the-plant workers, this will mean an additional 15 cents for every hour worked between 6pm and 6am.

“That’s another nice change,” added Eubanks.

Workers at Prairie Farms Dairy produce milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, and other dairy products.