Sunberry Beverages Union Workers in Paw Paw Ratify New Contract

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 951 voted this week to overwhelmingly ratify a new contract at Sunberry Beverages, a beverage manufacturing plant located in Paw Paw, MI, containing two wage increases within the first eight months of the contract; elimination of seasonal employee status, making all employees full-time and eligible for all benefits; significant improvements to paid time off; increases to the 401(k) match; and a choice of three different health insurance plans to fit different coverage needs.

UFCW 951 is the largest private sector union in the state, representing over 30,000 workers in a variety of industries, approximately 60 of which are Sunberry workers. The contract is effective May 11, 2025, and expires on May 13, 2028.

The workers at Sunberry Beverages have been working under a union contract that was originally signed in May 2022 when the plant was owned by Knouse Foods, which operated the facility for several decades as a fruit processing plant.  Sunberry Beverages acquired the plant from Knouse Foods and officially took over day-to-day operations on October 1, 2023.  When the new owners took over, they recognized the union contract in place but changes to the production methods since then have greatly impacted workers in the plant.

“After the change in ownership, job duties and responsibilities at the plant changed significantly for the union members,” John Cakmakci, UFCW 951 president and chief negotiator for the talks, said. “I am proud of the members who served on the bargaining committee and worked together to achieve contract gains that improve the lives of their fellow members.  It’s important for the company to recognize how valuable the Sunberry workers are and reward their hard work and loyalty with a strong contract.”

Devan Harris, a union steward and bargaining committee member from Sunberry, said he enjoyed the contract bargaining experience and learned a lot from it.

“This was my first time on a bargaining committee,” said Harris. “It was a learning experience. I like the fact that you get to learn about what the company is going to be offering to you so we could counteroffer. We wanted to make sure we got all the benefits that we could get. I like the way the contract is written, it works for new hires, and it works for the veteran employees, like myself. I am looking at this contact as a new opportunity because we have a lot of building to do under the new ownership.”

UFCW 951 is the largest private sector union in the state representing over 30,000 workers across Michigan in a variety of industries including grocery, retail, food processing, and the cannabis retail industry who are employed at a variety of companies including Meijer, Meijer Manufacturing, Kroger, JBS, JLL, Sunberry Beverages, Polly’s, Harding’s, Planned Parenthood of Michigan, and Zen Leaf. The UFCW International Union is the largest private sector union in the United States representing over 1.3 million UFCW members nationwide.

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