All Posts from January 14, 2014

Court orders halt to union sanctions against ICL

The Beer Sheba Regional Labor Court has ordered Rotem Amfert workers to return to work and halt all sanctions against Israel Chemicals (ICL), and for management to withdraw all dismissal notices.

The judge instructed the parties to return to the negotiating table and report back to him later this week regarding progress in the talks. ICL management has sent out 10 dismissal notices so far and plans to fire 127 workers as part of its recovery plan for the subsidiary.

The workers imposed sanctions late last week after negotiations broke down between the two sides over a competing plan proposed by the Histadrut Labor Federation involving early retirement with a generous package of benefits instead of layoffs.

On Jan. 13, the Histadrut approved the declaration of a work dispute at Dead Sea Works, another ICL subsidiary. The union at that company joined for the first time the dispute of other ICL subsidiaries against ICL management’s recovery plan.

Pinnacle completes acquisition of Federer Fertilizer

Pinnacle Agriculture Holdings LLC reported on Jan. 13 that it has successfully acquired Federer Fertilizer Inc., located in Cullman, Ala. Federer will operate as part of Pinnacle’s Sanders brand, and will be managed by Greg Federer, former Federer owner.

Federer’s relationship with Sanders goes back four years, when it became a wholesale customer of Jimmy Sanders Inc., headquartered in Cleveland, Miss., which formed a strategic partnership with Pinnacle in 2012. The current employees of Federer will retain their positions under the new Sanders ownership.

“Sanders is very pleased with the recent acquisition of this well-respected business, and welcomes its staff to our family,” said Cole Gholston, area operations manager. “We have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Federer Fertilizer for several years, and we are confident that the farmers it served so well will experience a smooth transition and continue to receive efficient, competitive and timely service.”

Federer was founded in 2004 as a full-service farm supply operation, providing seed, fertilizer, and crop protection chemicals, as well as various hardware and livestock supplies to local growers. The Federer facility in Cullman is located at 2471 County Road 222, and becomes Sanders’ third retail facility in the area, joining existing Sanders locations in Town Creek and Belle Mina, Ala.

Under Sanders ownership, the Federer facility will offer custom fertilizer blends, seed and crop protection products, and precision agriculture services through Sanders’ proprietary OptiGro system. The facility will also continue to supply a wide variety of hardware and livestock products to customers.

“Much like our business, Sanders is a very family-oriented company,” said Melba Federer, co-owner of Federer. “Other than new Sanders branding and signage, customers shouldn’t notice much of a change at all in our operation. We will be able to provide more variety in the inventory and also offer better prices. This should be a good opportunity for our customers and for us.”