Meatpackers Who Refused to Cross Picket Lines Fired

Union meatpackers at three Hormel plants in Texas, Nebraska and Iowa were fired today when they refused to cross picket lines set up by strikers from the company’s flagship plant in Minnesota, a company official said.

“A substantial portion of the work force did not report to work” at a plant in Ottumwa, Iowa, said Chuck Nyberg, Hormel’s senior vice president. “Those employees are being discharged, and we are proceeding to permanently replace them.”

Nyberg said workers were also fired at Hormel plants in Dallas and Fremont, Neb. He said “a few” were discharged in Dallas and about 60 in Fremont. He said he did not yet have complete figures on how many workers were terminated.

Ray Rogers, a strike strategist hired by the union, said the Ottumwa plant is virtually shut down, and the Dallas plant “pretty much shut down.” He said about half the workers at the Fremont plant refused to cross picket lines.

“You can expect that within 24 hours we’ll be setting up picket lines at other facilities,” Rogers said.

On Sunday night, a neutral fact-finder appointed by Gov. Rudy Perpich said key parts of a contract offer twice rejected by striking Hormel meatpackers are ambiguous, and said there is enough misunderstanding to merit another vote.

The call by fact-finder Arnold Zack for a new membership vote came as meatpackers on strike for more than five months against Geo. A. Hormel & Co.’s Austin plant decided to urge a nationwide boycott of Hormel products.