On Tuesday, December 8th, UFCW Local 152 members at Goya Foods in Pedricktown, New Jersey came together and ratified a strong new contract!

The five-year agreement has introduced many improvements for our hardworking members. Firstly, the new agreement gave all members a $2.00 increase to their base rate! In addition, members will receive respectable wage increases throughout the life of the contract as well as increases for certain rated positions.

After hard bargaining, Goya Foods agreed to increase the company’s yearly benefits contribution through the life of the agreement in order to maintain the same quality health insurance benefits. The committee also bargained to begin participating in the UFCW Local 152 Savings Plan. Goya Foods will make guaranteed monthly contributions on behalf of every member with more than one year of service; additionally, members can also elect to contribute to the plan themselves. These additional contributions will help our members secure a safe and steady retirement.

In compliance with the New Jersey Sick Leave Law, all members will now receive up to 40 hours (or 5 days) of sick time each year, which, if unused, can be cashed out at the end of the year. Finally, language was added throughout the contract to better define various articles.

Congratulations to our members and the Negotiating Committee! This included Director of Collective Bargaining Dan Ross, Executive Director Danette Montes-Palmore, and members Jose Vazquez, Luis Vazquez, and Julio Duran.

UFCW Local 152 proudly represents warehousemen, operators, and other workers at the Goya Foods facility in Pedricktown, NJ, the “premier source for authentic Latino cuisine [and the] the largest, Hispanic-owned food company in the United States,” according to their company website.