Industry-leading investment aims to attract and retain skilled talent
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (Sep. 1, 2021) –Local pork processor Triumph Foods today announced an agreement with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) District Union Local 2 in which the company will raise wages for all new and current production employees. The starting base wage is now $20 per hour for all production new hires. This increase also includes a $1 per hour differential for employees working second and third shifts. In addition, all current production employees will receive a minimum $2.75 per hour wage increase. These changes take effect immediately for Triumph’s nearly 2,800-person workforce.
“Triumph Foods employees are hard-working members of our community who have seen a lot of challenges over the last two years,” said Triumph Foods Chief Operating Officer Matt England. “This wage increase is a way to show our appreciation for some of the most resilient people in our industry. It’s also a big investment in the future of our employees and their ability to have a long-term career with us.”
The wage announcement is a positive product of working with the Union on behalf of its members. “Our union is thrilled that Triumph Foods has agareed to implement this significant wage increase. This rate is almost 15% higher than current starting wages, which is an incredible investment in Triumph team members who work so hard to supply pork for consumers,” said UFCW Local 2 President Martin Rosas.
This represents the largest wage increase in the company’s 15-year history. The new starting wage is higher than the average of other regional meat industry companies.
“This is an historic agreement,” said Triumph Foods Senior Vice President of Human Resources Kevin Neal. “It demonstrates our commitment to being the employer of choice in St. Joseph. We provide flexibility, highly competitive wages and advancement opportunities for our employee base.”
In addition to the wage increase, Triumph Foods employees will have access to new benefits, including a paid referral program and additional earned time off beginning in early 2022. The company has also created a new utility position in which an employee who attains proper skills training can be placed where needed on a day-by-day basis. This position will have an added pay differential for anyone who holds it. For new employees, qualifying relocation assistance is also available.
“Our team members come to work every day to provide for their families – and they also live here. We listen to them when they share ideas on how to make this a better place to work and St. Joseph a better place to live, and this wage increase is another way to show we put our team members first,” England said.
About Triumph Foods
As a top exporter of premium pork products worldwide, Triumph Foods has positioned itself as one of the leading pork processors in the United States. The company, which began operations of its pork processing plant in January 2006 in St. Joseph, Missouri, is producer owned. The state-of-the-art facility, processing 6 million hogs each year, is the newest such facility in the United States. Featuring the latest food quality and safety innovations and improvements, the company prides itself on producing only the highest quality pork products found in the market today. With a dedicated workforce of 2,800 employees at full capacity headcount, Triumph provides a variety of pork products both domestically and internationally to some of the highest quality food producers in the world. This commitment to quality and the dedication of our workforce is what separates Triumph from others in the industry.
About United Food and Commercial Workers International
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) and UCFW District Union Local 2 is a labor union made up of 1.3 million hard-working men and women in the U.S. and Canada. It is a 501(c)(5) nonprofit organization that believes in the power of ordinary people coming together to improve their lives and make a lasting difference for all working people. Its members are your friends and neighbors. They work in grocery and retail stores, pharmacies, health care and manufacturing facilities, and in food processing and meat packing industries. The UFCW District Union Local 2 represents workers in more than 60 companies in Kansas and Missouri.
