Hormel meatpackers rejected a final offer.

Union meatpackers at the George A. Hormel Co. plant in Austin, Minn., said they would stage the first strike in 52 years at the plant at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The vote against the company’s offer was 1,261 to 96, said Jim Guyette, president of Local P-9 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. “We intend to go after Hormel and its other customers to tell the consumers just how much pain and suffering goes into that pound of bacon they buy,” Guyette said in announcing the strike. “For the near term, we plan to shut down the Austin plant,” said Charles Nyberg, Hormel vice president and general counsel. Hormel offered to pay workers in Austin a base wage of $10 an hour as of Sept. 1, which matches the wage at nine other Hormel union plants. The industry average is $8 to $9 an hour, the company said.