24 Arrested as Hormel Protesters Block Gates, Shut Down Plant

AUSTIN, Minn. —  Striking meatpackers chanting “fight back” locked arms and blocked the gates at Geo. A. Hormel & Co. on Thursday, shutting down the plant for three hours until police broke up the protest by arresting 24 people.

Police Chief Don Hoffman said the demonstrators dispersed when police made the arrests in a group of about 200 people who gathered at the plant gates before sunrise in the latest protest arising from the bitter seven-month strike.

The protest delayed non-union replacement workers from going to their jobs in the slaughterhouse. For about three hours, the demonstrators locked arms and stood behind their vehicles blocking all plant gates, chanting: “They say get back. We say fight back.”

“This is a flagrant violation by a lawless element in our community, along with outside agitators,” said Deryl Arnold, the Austin plant manager, who called replacement workers back to the flagship facility at mid-morning.

“People are voicing their frustrations,” said Larry Gullickson, a spokesman for the striking meatpackers. “We’ve been out here seven months but the company keeps stonewalling all the talks.”

Several of those arrested Thursday were supporters who came to Austin to back the striking local union, police said.

Hormel reopened the plant Jan. 13 by hiring 1,050 workers, about half of them former strikers who crossed the picket line, company officials said.

A week later, pickets from Local P-9 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union blocked the gates and closed the plant. Gov. Rudy Perpich called out the National Guard, which remained at the plant for a month to maintain order.

The parent union told the local a week ago to end the strike and stop a boycott of Hormel products, saying those who refused would lose strike benefits of $40 a week.

Despite the demonstration, Hormel officials said they would meet with the union but not until next week. The last time talks were held, on Feb. 11, bargaining broke down when the local demanded that the company grant the strikers amnesty for their walkout and let them return to work.