UFCW Local 152 members at Hanover Foods in Delaware were recently awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of an arbitration award!

Roughly 50 members at the Clayton, Delaware facility ratified a new contract in March 2023. As part of the agreement, workers were set to receive significant wage increases retroactive back to January of that year.

However, Hanover Foods took an outlandish position and refused to honor the agreement. Local 152 viewed this as bad faith bargaining and immediately filed labor charges and a formal class action grievance that went swiftly to arbitration.

Regrettably, the employer then used stall tactics to delay the process for nearly a year.

Finally, an arbitrator ruled that a total of $352,984.35 should be restored to these members!

According to the decision of arbitrator Scott E. Bucheit:

“The union is entitled to be ‘made whole’ for the employer’s failure to integrate the terms of the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) into the CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement).”

“Local 152 proudly fought on behalf of these members to get them the wage increases they rightfully deserved,” President Daniel Ross, Jr. said. “Sadly, they shouldn’t have needed to wait to receive what was promised by their employer in negotiations. This local union remains committed to holding employers accountable at the bargaining table and beyond!

“I applaud our members at Hanover,” Ross continued, “as the solidarity displayed on the shop floor, coupled with their stewards’ participation in the arbitration process ensured this victory for working families.”

UFCW Local 152 proudly represents about fifty workers at Hanover Foods who perform production, maintenance, sanitation, and warehouse duties.