Union Meat Cutters, Wrappers Reject Pact

Southern California meat cutters and wrappers over the weekend soundly rejected a contract proposal by the major supermarkets, sending negotiators for both sides back to the bargaining table on Monday.

Norm Bell, spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCWU) Local 135 in San Diego, said that workers rejected the proposal from the Food Employers Council of Southern California by a 97% margin. Union representatives for 8,000 meat cutters and wrappers who work from San Luis Obispo to the Mexican border are meeting with industry negotiators in Carson.

Local 135 represents about 1,200 employees throughout San Diego County. Union representatives at the bargaining table are led by UFCWU Local 551 in Artesia. The Food Employers Council is an industry consortium representing the major supermarket chains.

Initially, some union leaders had threatened a strike for Monday if the contract was rejected Sunday. But on Monday, Bell said that union leaders agreed to continue a marathon session with industry representatives in order to hammer out a compromise.

“We went back into negotiations this (Monday) morning. The decision was made to continue on a day-by-day basis as long as we feel that we can make some progress,” Bell said.

However, Bell said that both sides were far apart on an industry proposal to increase the number of wrappers and broaden their duties. Union officials said that the wrappers, who are paid less and work under the meat cutters, already make up 25% of the meat department’s employees. They charge that the supermarkets want them to take over some of the meat cutters’ specialized duties.

“There’s a real difference of opinion at the bargaining table over this issue. . . . We’re quite a ways apart on it,” Bell said.

The rank and file also objected to the industry’s wage offering, which called for no pay raise during the the first year of the contract, followed by a 25-cent-an-hour raise the second and a $500 bonus in the third year.

Meat department employees struck for eight weeks in 1985. Journeymen meat cutters now earn $13.98 an hour, wrappers $7.90 an hour.