May 23, 2013

Save Email Print Bookmark and Share
Posted: Sat 6:12 PM, Dec 01, 2012
A A
Reporter: AP Email

Crystal Sugar Workers Reject Contract for Fourth Time

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - American Crystal Sugar Co. workers have rejected a contract for the fourth time.

The workers have been locked out of their jobs for 16 months. Union officials said in a release Saturday night that workers voted 55 percent to reject management's contract offer.

The lockout originally affected about 1,300 workers, but more than 500 have left since then.

Contract opponents say the proposal cuts health care benefits and weakens job security. The company says the offer would raise worker pay by 17 percent over five years.

Last year, more than 90 percent of the workers rejected the contract. In June, it was turned down with a 63 percent vote.

American Crystal runs five sugar beet processing plants in North Dakota and Minnesota. It is the nation's largest sugar beet processor.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Next Story >
Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.
powered by Disqus

US Business News

  • Wary of China, U.S. Steps Into Sprint's Board
    SoftBank is readying a plan to allow the U.S. government an unusual level of influence over the operations of Sprint, a concession to ease security concerns raised by the proposed cross-border takeover.
  • Online Gambling Bets on Return to U.S.
    PokerStars, the largest online poker company in the world, is playing a difficult hand: Just two years after being shut down in the U.S. it wants to return to the table.
  • The Incredible Vanishing Subsidiary
    Some of the biggest U.S. companies, including Google and FedEx, have quietly removed hundreds of offshore subsidiaries from their publicly disclosed financial filings over the past several years.
  • Boeing Clears China Hurdle
    China's aviation regulator cleared Boeing's 787 aircraft for commercial service with the nation's airlines.
  • Cost Controls Help Lenovo Profit
    Chinese personal-computer maker Lenovo Group's fiscal fourth-quarter profit rose 90% from a year earlier, setting it apart from an industry that is struggling with weak demand.
  • Finra Upgrades Stock-Market Surveillance
    Finra agreed to take on oversight of two more U.S. exchanges, a move that will improve its surveillance and expand its coverage to about 90% of daily stock trading.
  • Discovery to Launch Online Video Network
    Discovery Communications is launching a video network, dubbed TestTube, with original series available free, hoping to capture younger viewers harder to reach through traditional TV.
  • Clearwire Doesn't Expect Dish to Top Sprint's Bid
    Clearwire said it hasn't had 'substantive' talks with Dish Network since last month, and doesn't expect the satellite-TV operator to top Sprint's sweetened offer for the wireless broadband provider, which Clearwire supports.
  • Pfizer to Spin Off Remaining Zoetis Stake
    Pfizer plans to shed its majority stake in animal-health company Zoetis, continuing Pfizer's efforts to its hone its focus on drugs and vaccines for humans.
  • Saks, Neiman: A Possible Fit?
    KKR is weighing an investment in Saks, possibly with an eye toward merging the high-end department store with rival Neiman Marcus, according to a person familiar with the matter.