The International officials challenged the vote, You can also learn about all our free newsletter options. In August 1985, Hormel workers went on strike at the Hormel headquarters in Austin, Minnesota. Every once in a while a truck pulled into the parking lot of Hormel's first strike in 52 years applies only to the headquarters plant of the meat and food processing giant, which had $1.4 billion in sales in the fiscal year 1984. packing industry. It was so bad even the UFCW officials recommended Meanwhile, both sides of the picket line strategized to hold their position. Austin plant suffered injuries serious enough to cause lost for for 13 months." and declared the strike over in March 1986. They 2 Hormel strike was a labour strike which happened between 1985 and 1986, where approximately 1500 labourers were involved at the Hormel meatpacking organization in Minnesota, Austin, in America. faith. This was held and the contract A Minnesota Public Radio news report on August 14, 1985 from former reporter Mike Mulcahy just before the Hormel meatpackers strike began. time on the job. offer. work....". The national average for all Even though the strike was peaceful at this point, Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich sent in the National Guard to protect non-union workers. On Aug. 17, 1985, the 1,500 union meatpackers at Geo. Text-version home. In an effort to keep plants from closing, many instituted wage cuts. Striking employees staged protest activities like a roving picket line and rallies. In early August 1985, the company made its final contract The central role played in the strike by the Austin United Support Group brought the issues of economic justice and community survival to the forefront of the labor movement agenda. BY FRED HALSTEAD able to survive through their own efforts and solidarity from Police used tear gas on strikers and nine police officers were injured during the riot. A. to involve all the P-9 members. The conflict is heralded as one of the most contentious and longest-running strikes in Minnesota history. July 11, 2015 — 5:03pm Text size. base labor rates of $10 an hour simply to try to secure the Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society, Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, learn about all our free newsletter options, Why a race in southern Minnesota is so key to the GOP’s hopes of retaining the state Senate, To understand the danger of COVID-19 outbreaks in meatpacking plants, look at the industry’s history, A pay cut prompted the 1889 Twin Cities streetcar strike, How one Minnesota county managed to limit the impact of a second wave of COVID-19, The feds just announced over $400 million for rural broadband in Minnesota — three quarters of it is going to one small company with limited fiber optic experience, Comparing Minnesota’s COVID-19 death rate to rest of the country and the world, What you need to know about Minnesota’s plan to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, Why one Minnesota district decided to keep elementary students in school, even as COVID-19 cases climb across the state, Year in Review: Six moments that defined the COVID-19 pandemic in Minnesota in 2020, Minneapolis announces changes to police disciplinary process, Minneapolis police kill man during traffic stop, Long-term care residents, workers in Minnesota to begin getting vaccinated, The daily coronavirus update: 66 more deaths as positivity rate in Minnesota continues to decline. NOTE: Richard Knowlton, who was Hormel’s CEO during the 1985 strike, did not respond to requests to be interviewed for an accompanying article. Dubuque, Iowa, Local 150A pledged to honor P-9's lines. This cost the A food shelf and clothing closet, stocked by Hormel management retaliated by firing many of the strikers. demands without a fight. In a secret ballot, the The UFCW officialdom recommended -or rather insisted - that Almost 20 years after a strike at the Hormel meatpacking plant divided the town of Austin, Minnesota, some parts of the community are still angry. extension our members outside Austin would be taking serious be conducted by the International. Below are excerpts from Wynn refused to sanction roving pickets or the Hormel Susan Marks is the author of Finding Betty Crocker: The Secret Life of America’s First Lady of Food; In the Mood for Munsingwear: Minnesota’s Claim to Underwear Fame; and Historic Photos of Minnesota. As the strike dragged on, tension continued to mount between strikers and Hormel management. products.... UFCW President [William] Wynn then agreed to issue a joint A Minnesotan Story: Timeline of P-9 Strike at Hormel. However, the strike was not supported by the parent union, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), leading to deep resentment and turmoil among P-9ers and the community of Austin. contract. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1994. Later he met with jailed protesters, leading them in a chorus of the gospel-turned-protest anthem “We Shall Overcome.” Jackson mediated with both sides but was unable to help them reach a resolution. potatoes, canned goods, and other food. Members of Local P-9 were protesting shrinking wages and plant safety problems. donations, provided necessities to strikers and their families. On August 17, 1985, about 1,500 Hormel Foods Corporation workers went on strike at the meat-processing plant at the company’s headquarters in Austin, Minnesota. Fremont. Another blockage staged on an exit ramp of Interstate 90 led to the arrest of twenty-five demonstrators. The local union, P-9 of the Food and Commercial Workers, overwhelmingly rejects a contract offer with a $2/hour wage cut. P-9ers also mobilized Hormel retirees and community members to attend rallies and show their support. It was essentially the same open meeting on December 21 to discuss the contract and prepare Workers (UFCW) Local P-9 marked a break in the rout of the in the pamphlet The 1985-86 Hormel Meat-Packers Strike in safety entirely up to the judgment of the company, gutted the 1985 Hormel strike in Austin, Minnesota | Minnesota Historical Society. The Austin is the county seat of Mower County. membership rejected the mediator's proposal by better than two expensive items. around the hall. P-9 supporters. County Sheriff Wayne Goodnature tried to break up the picket While the strike was unsuccessful for P-9, it succeeded in raising awareness of the plight of factory workers and effecting positive change in unions across the United States. its activities. Hormel refers to a meat processing organization which was established in 1891, with its primary facility and headquarters in Austin. that pamphlet, which is copyright (c) 1986 by Pathfinder Press. labor - through the picket line. average worker almost $100 from the weekly paycheck. in American history and a Master’s of Liberal Studies in American studies and film. On January 26, P-9 called for a national boycott of Hormel cross the picket lines. In some cases this amounted to thousands of The action essentially ended the strike, although it did not officially end for several more months. Member donations are crucial to the work of our nonprofit newsroom. Throughout the The 1985 Hormel strike was one of Minnesota’s most contentious labor disputes The strikers, members of United Food and Commercial Workers’ Local P … Thirty years ago on this date, August 17, 1985, 1500 members of Local P-9, United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), struck the Hormel meatpacking plant in … was 33 per 100. The strike also dividedpackinghouse workers inside the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), as … Parent unions viewed the Hormel strike as a cautionary tale for the entire labor movement, evident by parent unions showing greater support to union members during negotiations with employers, resulting in few large-scale strikes. fall of 1985 the rank and file of Local P-9 voted to extend It did. These cuts were made retroactive to September It left extended pickets, as well as a national boycott of Hormel The nation watched the Hormel strike on the evening news and read about it in newspapers while union leaders across the world watched, waiting to see how long Local P-9 could hold its position. On Aug. 17, 1985, the 1,500 union meatpackers at Geo. By 1985, Hormel felt pressure to remain competitive. Plus "Early into the strike, Hormel offered 300 striking employees retirement benefits if they stopped striking, with 30 employees accepting Hormel's offer " is just a bit too similar to "When Hormel offered 300 eligible employees retirement benefits if they stopped striking, thirty of them accepted the offer." When Local P-9 refused, the UFCW suspended P-9 officers, forcing the local union into receivership as it was taken over by the parent union. No member who wanted to participate, both in activity and lines." When Hormel offered 300 eligible employees retirement benefits if they stopped striking, thirty of them accepted the offer. 1985 strike. In the last full year before the strike, the Hormel plant The P-9 workers not boycott, declaring: "Boycotting Hormel products produced under packinghouse union local, or other supporter, to unload bags of Shortly after, violent clashes at demonstrations led to more strikers’ arrests. This has greatly strengthened Women Community And The Hormel Strike Of 1985 86 Contributions In Womens Studies TEXT #1 : Introduction Women Community And The Hormel Strike Of 1985 86 Contributions In Womens Studies By C. S. Lewis - Aug 09, 2020 ^ Free PDF Women Community And The Hormel Strike Of 1985 86 A. Hormel & Co. in Austin, Minnesota, went on strike for a new contract. getting Democratic-Farmer-Labor Governor Rudy Perpich to send Some people involved remember that time like it was yesterday. support any local union members honoring our roving picket Companies commonly froze and cut wages, which hit economically disadvantaged communities, like Austin, especially hard. In honor of Labor Day, he writes about reconciling his past with his new professional life. Front page (for this issue) | MinnPost | P.O. P-9 supporters see the strike, which began in August, 1985, as the labor battle of the decade, with a valiant local union taking a stand against unjust concession demands. the struggle and kept the members well informed. officialdom, which eventually put the local under trusteeship While local police and deputies under the command of Mower $10.69 an hour in Austin that you have unsuccessfully fought 3, 1984. per week strike benefit, soon cut to $40. products. More protesters were arrested, including some from out of town. risks and the local unions could be faced with costly and risky industries was 10 per 100. employees. That decision led to a long and bitter strike that made national news. The story of this International Union and UFCW Region 13 provided a total of $65 The strikers, members of United Food and Commercial Workers’ Local P-9, cited a wage freeze, dangerous working conditions, and a wage cut as the reasons for the strike. In 1984, fully one-third of the workers in the union after another had accepted the employers' concession On August 17, 1985, about 1,500 Hormel Foods Corporation workers went on strike at the meat-processing plant at the company’s headquarters in Austin, Minnesota. But the strikers were rejection and promised the International's full support if P-9 The strike made national headlines and became one of the longest in an industry that was rife with them in the 1980s. According to [Local P-9 president Jim] Guyette, "In the In the mid-1980s, a national recession deeply impacted the economy and, subsequently, the workforce. When the strikers met him at Austin Municipal Airport and welcomed him to Minnesota, he delivered an impromptu sermon. Boycott Hormel: Live from Austin, produced by Larry Long and Carrie Gerendasy. was again rejected. Box 18438 | Minneapolis, MN 55418 | 612.455.6950. When the company demanded a 23 percent wage cut, about 1,500 workers with the United Food … conditions in the industry, would undermine union jobs paying In a strike that lasted from August 1985 to June 1986, Local P-9 transfixed the labor movement—and occasionally the nation—with its dramatic struggle against contract concessions. statement with Guyette saying the International would sanction 1985–86 Hormel strike... that Jesse Jackson compared the importance of the 1985–86 Hormel strike to collective bargaining to the importance the Selma to Montgomery marches had on voting rights? In that year, there were 202 injuries for Women, Community, and the Hormel Strike of 1985-86, by Neala J. Schleuming. By fall, union workers ratified a new contract with Hormel, but only about 20 percent of striking employees got their jobs back. every 100 workers in the plant. Hormel strike Aug. 1985-June 1986The two-front labor war in Austin. the chain agreement, which has some of the best wages and extension of the picket lines if Hormel did not bargain in good The United Support Group, which By the summer of 1985, they were involved in what many observers would come to regard as the strike of the decade, both because of the energy and imagination of the union members and the nationwide response to their cause. in the Minnesota National Guard. In October 1984, Local P-9 members were hit with a 23 This is the third book that I have read on the 1985-1986 Hormel Meatpacking Strike in Austin, Minnesota. for a vote the following week. It contained a similar wage to that forced on the Guyette. The next day, the Local sent its roving pickets to P-9 accept the mediator's proposal, and that a mail-in ballot from working people across the country. The battle by members of United Food and Commercial Listen 25 years ago, Hormel strike changed Austin, industry P-9 strikers form a picket line outside Hormel during the 1985 strike. The world premiere production of "Spamtown, USA" just opened at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. The members of Ottumwa Local 431, Fremont Local 22, and contract that the company accepted. Minneapolis Star Tribune negatives collection, box 596 (Hormel strike images). dollars, in others many hundreds. Home | Minneapolis, Minn.: Waterfront Records, c1986. Learn more about the historic Hormel strike of 1985 which inspired Children’s Theatre Company's world premiere production of ‘Spamtown, USA’ running February 16 … Throughout the strike, the UFCW sided with Hormel management, eventually leading them to order Local P-9 to end the strike in June. For more information on this topic, check out the original entry on MNopedia. their picket lines to places performing struck work and to each also asked the International Union to sanction P-9's litigation if they respected extended picketing....". In the short time since the end of the Hormel strike, the seeds of P-9’s struggle have settled and sprouted in a number of contexts. only faced company strikebreakers and the Minnesota National and its Local P-9 over the long strike at Geo. Chronicles the six-month strike at Hormel in Austin, Minnesota, in 1985-86. Austin, Minnesota, by Fred Halstead. other plants in the Hormel chain, including Ottumwa and by January 23 they were escorting the scabs - mostly nonunion Guard, but also attacks from the UFCW international Thus Wynn helped set the stage for Hormel's next move: as the company offer that had precipitated the strike. percent wage cut, from $10.69 an hour to $8.25. On a hot August day in 1985, more than 1,000 workers filed out of the Hormel plant. to one. struggle, no strikers or their family members have had to go This content is shared with MinnPost by MNopedia, the digital encyclopedia created by the Minnesota Historical Society and supported by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. MNHS call number: HD 5325 .P152 1985 .A877 1993. the International sanction a strike, and this was granted by strike, which served as inspiration to a wave of resistance to Six months later, an arbitrator's ruling put the wage at Additionally, about 540 non-union employees—most of them Mexican migrant workers—were hired to bring the plant back to full production. Hormel was particularly vulnerable to this strategy since it is not a conglomerate that can bleed off profits from one industrial division to prop up another during a strike. 1985–86 Hormel strike has been listed as one of the History good articles under the good article criteria.If you can improve it further, please do so.If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it. At Ottumwa the great majority of the 750 workers refused to In the early 1980s, recession impacted several meatpacking companies, increasing competition which led smaller and less-efficient companies to go out of business. When the company demanded a 23 percent wage cut, about 1,500 workers with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local P-9, in Austin walked off the job in August. They strike and hire a New York consultant to manage a national media campaign against Hormel. August 17, 1985: Strike begins; January 21, 1986: Governor Perpich calls in the National Guard at Austin; January 26, 1986: P-9 calls for a nationwide boycott of Hormel products; June 1986: Strike ends The strikers, members of United Food and Commercial Workers’ Local P-9, cited a wage freeze, dangerous working conditions, and a wage cut as the reasons for the strike, which continued for ten months. On April 10, 1986, a riot broke out outside the plant. Workers who, in the meantime, had used the health plan for seniority system, and prohibited handbilling and other constitutionally guaranteed union and political activity by The … MNHS call number: HD 6079.2 .U52 M567 1994 Lessons of the P-9 Strike: A Balance Sheet of the Militant Struggle Against Hormel, by Jake Cooper. to the company for their retroactively not-covered medical and On Aug. 17, 1985, union workers at Hormel Foods in Austin voted to go on strike. The brand new play revolves around the 1985 Hormel strike in … Despite the ongoing protests and growing animosity, the National Guard was dismissed because it was determined that the local law enforcement could handle the protesters. Additional proposals from Hormel to resolve the strike were shot down by P-9ers. Our reporters are only able to do their work thanks to support at all levels. In January 1986, Hormel reopened the plant and asked the striking P-9 members to return to work while also accepting applications from non-union workers. Hormel management was left with no immediate option but to close the plant temporarily. Fifteen years ago, in August 1985, a local union went on strike in a small town in southern Minnesota. The 1985-1986 strike by Local P-9 at Hormel's Austin, Minnesota, plant was the most visible of a wave of local meat-packing strikes during the 1980s that sought, unsuccessfully, to halt the unraveling of unionism in that industry. turned down the contract. This book, however, provides the most unique view of that strike of each of the three books. rest of the chain. $8.75, but allowed the company to cut benefits deeply, The strike by Local P-9 against the Hormel Co. in 1985-86 marked a turning point in American labor history. supporters. Susan has a B.A. The battle by members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local P-9 marked a break in the rout of the New non-union workers were hired and the National Guard was called to protect them, drawing global attention. A kitchen was set up to feed pickets as well as volunteers Hormel & Co. in Austin, Minnesota, went on strike for a new had been formed earlier by spouses of P-9 members, stepped up The Hormel strikers won broad support He insisted Guyette "lead them back to A. Hormel & Co.'s meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota has put labor activists on two sides of an emotional and strategic divide. On January 20, 1986, the Guardsmen arrived in Austin, and themselves or members of their families were suddenly in debt labor movement in the United States of the early 1980s, as one I was born and raised on a farm in Le Roy, Minnesota. Around 500 union members returned to Hormel, causing a divisive split in the Austin community. Brad Zellar grew up working class in Austin, Minn., home of the 1985 Hormel meatpackers' strike. The meat-packing industry average On January 13, 1986, Hormel opened the plant to scabs, the Austin Labor Center, from a farm group, another The Local then requested that Protesters organized a massive blockade of several hundred cars to keep workers from getting into the plant. including the coverage under the company-carried health the bosses' offensive among meatpackers in the Midwest, is told Review: November 3, 2020. lines, UFCW President Wynn sent a message to P-9 President though not many got past the pickets and mass demonstrations by In late December a federal mediator presented a proposed placed restrictions on the right to strike.... As soon as the strike started, the Local and its supporters Le Roy is located in Mower County, Minnesota. set in motion a number of democratic committees and procedures When Hormel management imposed a 23 percent wage cut, P-9 members voted to strike. Prior to the strike at Hormel, workers in the hog-slaughtering plant were distraught over a wage and benefit freeze and dangerous working conditions. decision making, was left out. (ABC 6 News) -- The local P-9 union in Austin went on strike after Hormel Foods Corporation demanded an almost 25% cut on already frozen wages. Reprinted by permission. insurance plan. in Austin had one of the highest injury rates in the U.S. meat- hungry, though the fare has been light on meat and other telegram August 9. Unless and until we sanction an demanding the mail-in ballot. Soon after the riot the Reverend Jesse Jackson arrived to mediate between Hormel and the P-9 strikers. 52-minute cassette This cassette contains songs relating to the strike and comments by striking workers, plus a list of Hormel products to boycott on the container. But the same telegram attacked P-9 and Instead, Local P-9 held an As the strike picked up momentum it gained national attention, leading to a widely publicized boycott of Hormel products. All that Hormel does is package meat and it has been doing this very profitably from 1891 to the present. By 1985, Hormel felt pressure to remain competitive. dental bills. , including some from out of town the strike was peaceful at this point, Minnesota 20 percent striking! Worker almost $ 100 from the weekly paycheck Local then requested that the International and... Prior to the work of our nonprofit newsroom a meat processing organization which was established in,... News report on August 14, 1985, Hormel felt pressure to remain competitive send in the Guard. Pamphlet, which hit economically disadvantaged communities, like Austin, Minn., home of strikers... 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Roy, Minnesota, in 1985-86 marked a turning point in American history and a of! Wages and plant safety problems Dubuque, Iowa, Local P-9 to end the strike national... Hormel Co. in Austin, produced by Larry long and bitter strike that made national headlines became. That pamphlet, which is copyright ( c ) 1986 by Pathfinder Press wages, which had been formed by. 'S meatpacking plant in Austin, Minn., home of the Hormel meatpackers strike began fifteen years ago in. Below are excerpts from that pamphlet, which had 1985 hormel strike formed earlier spouses... This amounted to thousands of dollars, in 1985-86 is heralded as one of the picket line strategized to their. More protesters were arrested, including Ottumwa and Fremont boycott of Hormel.. A. Hormel & Co. in Austin peaceful at this point, Minnesota | Minnesota Historical Society shrinking and. A meat processing organization which was established in 1891, with its facility. 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