MOORHEAD (KFGO) – The union representing most production workers at American Crystal Sugar processing plants is asking that the current contract be extended and the company has agreed to the extension.
That followed the union’s rejection of the company’s four-year contract offer that would’ve meant pay raises of 17% over four years.
BCTGM Local 167G Union president John Riskey says the vote against the new contract was “overwhelming.” Risky says the company does not intend to lock out workers as was done in a bitter labor dispute in 2011. Riskey also says the union does not plan to go on strike.
The current expires at the end of the month. In April, Riskey told KFGO News that he felt good about the negotiations and the prospects for an agreement.
Crystal Vice-President Lisa Borgen says the company will extend the current contract and resume negotiations. She says she’s optimistic that a new contract will be agreed upon.
Borgen says the union has agreed to use a federal mediator when negotiations resume.
