010252 Excel, Workers Resume Talks

Fort Morgan, CO - Informal talks resumed between Excel Corp. meatpacking plant workers and company officials over a contract dispute a day after a wildcat strike here.

A small group remained on picket lines while about half the plant's day shift, about 500 people, showed up for work.

Workers are protesting Excel's proposed six-year labor contract.

Excel spokesman Mark Klein said company officials invited some employees inside to listen to their concerns Monday. He said the talks were continuing Tuesday, and could lead to negotiations with a federal mediator by the end of the week.

“We're wanting to keep the lines of communication open,” Klein said.

Excel has extended the old contract, which expired this week. Union members defeated the proposed contract 917-59 Sunday.

Wages are a major disagreement between the company and union. The union sought a total pay raise of $2.40 an hour over six years, but Excel offered $1.40 an hour.

Union officials have proposed a three-year contract, arguing that wages could fall behind cost-of-living expenses in a six-year pact. Klein said the company has agreed to revisit the issue.

The plant employs 2,050 people, and 1,775 are covered by the contract.

Excel, a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Cargill Inc., is the second-largest beef packer in the United States. Excel also has plants in Kansas, Nebraska and Texas.

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