Cargill Dunlop workers on strike

Workers at the Cargill Dunlop facility in Guelph reject negotiated settlement by 82%: Strike action begins at 12:01 a.m. on May 27

At a vote held May 26, 2024, members of UFCW Local 175 working at Cargill Dunlop in Guelph rejected a negotiated settlement by 82%, sending the nearly 1,000 members onto the picket lines as of 12:01 a.m. on May 27, 2024.

Read an update from week two on the picket line here.

In April, the members at Cargill Dunlop gave a 99% strike mandate to their Union Negotiating Committee.

The Cargill Dunlop facility is a beef slaughter plant where members work in a hot, fast-paced environment that takes a toll. The Union Negotiating Committee raised a number of issues at the bargaining table throughout this round of bargaining including the increased cost of living, and the $2 per hour pandemic pay that the employer took away while still deep in the middle of COVID.

“Our members at Cargill Dunlop are an integral part of a vital supply chain that helps keep food on the table for people every day,” said Kelly Tosato, President of UFCW Local 175. “The decision to go on strike is never easy but these members aren’t satisfied with what the company has brought to the table. And we will have their backs until their Union Negotiating Committee can achieve a deal that reflects the nature of their hard work and commitment to creating quality food products that feed hundreds of thousands.”

Cargill claims to be ‘working to nourish the world’ but cannot come to the table with an offer strong enough to help their own employees nourish themselves. The corporate giant is a major employer around the globe with 155,000 employees in 70 countries and regions, according to their own website.

With a cost-of-living crisis that has become untenable for many working people across Canada, and beyond, Cargill can more than afford to keep their hard-working employees well compensated so that they in turn can continue to ‘nourish the world.’

Pickets went up at 12:01 a.m. on May 27, 2024.

Members with questions or concerns, please speak to your Union Representative or Picket Captain(s).

Media inquiries: media@ufcw175.com

Visit our Facebook & Instagram pages for photos from the picket line as we receive them.