A new contract was approved for thousands of Hormel workers nationwide, including hundreds of employees at the Beloit plant.

United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), a labor union representing more than one million employees, announced the new contract was approved Thursday.

UFCW says the new contract strengthens wages, protects and expands healthcare, and protects and increases pensions for Hormel workers across the country.

Local unions for UCFW representing Hormel released the following statement:

“By strongly voting for a new contract that improves wages and benefits, thousands of our hardworking members sent a powerful message this week about the power that comes from workers standing together.

“This contract not only rewards hard work, it provides affordable healthcare, strong pensions, and critical benefits that ensure our UFCW members are able to build the better life they’ve earned. For millions of Americans, this contract ensures that they can continue to count on our members for the high-quality Hormel products they feed their families every day.”

UFCW represents 2,500 Hormel workers in Beloit, Wisconsin; Algona, Iowa; Austin, Minnesota and Atlanta, Georgia.