Salt factory workers in Newark are saying “no salt” until they receive a fair contract. All 105 workers at Cargill Salt Factory on 7220 Central Ave. stopped working on Aug. 11, 2026.
Teamsters Union Local 853, the salt factory workers union, are on strike for better wages and health care.
Teamsters Union representative James Long said they are asking for a wage increase, a medical plan with out-of-pocket cap, clearer contract language around AI use and progressive discipline.
Cargill is a food and agricultural company that was founded in 1865. Products they produce include meat and poultry, beverages and salt. Cargill has over 155,000 employees worldwide in 70 countries. The company made at least $154 billion in 2025.
Teamsters Union representative James Long said they are asking for a wage increase, a medical plan with out-of-pocket cap, clearer contract language around AI use and progressive discipline
The Newark factory is the only Cargill factory in the United States that makes sea salt. Sea salt is used to make table salt, to de-ice roads when it snows and as a water softener.
The sea salt comes right out of the San Francisco Bay. The Cargill website says they capture the sea water and put it in shallow ponds. The ponds evaporate for a span of three years, leaving a pile of sea salt that’s then harvested.
Cargill did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Long said the local union started to strike after their coworker experienced retaliation by Cargill. The person was threatened by Cargill about getting laid off, and the next day he worked he was isolated on the job. The union reached out to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to file an unfair labor practice administrative law case. The NLRB said six charges had merit and would be upheld. The case would be posted on the NLRB website.
Long said their union agrees with progressive discipline, but Cargill refuses to put that on contract. “[Cargill] can choose to, they can choose to skip a step with somebody,” he said. “They can choose, you know, [to] give certain people a verbal warning, while others will go right to a write up. So there isn’t anything concrete in there, and that’s what we asked to put it in the contract. They agreed to it, put in as a company policy, but they could change company policy, they can’t change our contract.”
AI language would include a discussion with workers before any AI tool is implemented at the Newark factory, like autonomous vehicles. “They refuse,” said Long. “They say to us that’s way too advanced for them, but if you search Cargill, as a company, they’re putting millions into AI. So there’s definitely something they’re looking at, right?”
A Cargill 2026 Annual Report says the company has been using AI to help with operations for more than a decade. Cargill uses automation, robotics and AI to run operations safely and effectively. For example, Cargill Amsterdam uses a robotic AI dog to perform daily inspections. A press release from April 2026 says Cargill is using AI to help with animal nutrition, port and shipping, reducing waste in protein supply chains and product development.
The cost of living in the Bay Area is also a reason why the workers went on strike.“The main thing is, right now, [Cargill’s] medical plan is not sufficient,” Long said. “Our guys are paying a huge amount out of their checks. If you’re a family, you’re paying almost $1,200 to $1,400 a month. Out of your check. And then on top of that, they have these really high deductibles. So, for a family guy, it’s almost $7,000 before the insurance kicks in.”
Long said workers want an affordable health care plan, at least with a cap on out-of-pocket costs. “On the last five year contract, we got a dollar a year raise, but the medical just swallowed that raise right up, and these guys were not making any more money, ” he said.
Long said some workers commute from Fresno and Modesto. “A lot of our guys rent or have homes outside of this area, as far as Fresno and Modesto and stuff like that in the Valley. And now they’re having to pay these high gas prices, just to come into the city, into Newark to work.”
The NLRB will be posting the Teamsters Union Local 853 case on their website: nlrb.gov.
