AUSTIN, Minn. – Members of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union voted down a new labor contract with Hormel Foods Corp., sending the parties back to the negotiation table a second time. The union rejected a previous contract earlier this month.

The main sticking points continue to be proposed scheduling changes, insurance deductibles and other healthcare-related issues. In a statement, Hormel said: “The union and company bargaining teams worked to get a tentative agreement on a very competitive and, what we believe to be, an industry leading contract. We obviously were disappointed that this tentative agreement was not ratified yesterday. We remain optimistic and feel confident in the contract the teams have agreed to.”