United Packinghouse Workers of America Local 9 - C.I.O. 1940 Agreement with George A. Hormel & Co. - Austin, Minnesota

"We, the United Packinghouse Workers, realize that the struggle to better our working and living conditions is in vain unless we are united to protect ourselves collectively against the organized forces of the employer. We, therefore, form an organization which unites all workers in our industry on an industrial basis with rank and file control regardless of craft, age, sex, nationality, race, color, creed or political beliefs consistent with democratic processes, and we pledge ourselves to pursue at all times a relentless and aggressive struggle to advance our interests.

We recognize that our industry is composed of workers of all nationalities, of many races, of different creeds and political opinions. In the past, these differences have been used to divide us and one group has been set against another by those who would prevent our unifying. We have organized by overcoming these divisive influences and by recognizing that our movement must be big enough to encompass all groups and all opinions. We must always be alert and ready to strike down any attempts to divide us. We must destroy the possibility of disunity through the education of our membership in the spirit of solidarity with a view to eliminating all prejudice.

In the same spirit of unity we pledge ourselves to work to perpetuate our Union and for a world dedicated to the principles of the Four Freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and freedom from Fear: and to making this truly the Century of the Common Man."