Posts Categorized: Packing and Processing

UFCW Local 152 members who work at George L. Wells Meat Company in Philadelphia unanimously ratified a new contract on July 18. The members are employed as meat cutters and sanitation workers.

The new three-year contract includes wage increases each year and a continuation of 100 percent health care contributions by the company, including a maintenance of benefit increases during the lifetime of the contract.

George L. Wells Meat Company has been providing quality meats for area fine restaurants and hotels since 1908.

On July 19, UFCW International President Marc Perrone issued a statement in opposition to the AG and Legal Workforce Act (H.R. 6417), which creates a new H-2C visa program that will expand the definition of an agricultural guestworker to include meat, poultry, shellfish and other food processing jobs.

Perrone’s statement reads as follows:

“The so-called AG and Legal Workforce Act will destroy American jobs and put the safety of our food supply at significant risk.

“The hard-working people who work in the meat and food processing sectors are highly trained professionals who serve as an extra layer of protection for consumers when it comes to food safety.

“These are vital roles that protect all American families regardless of where they live.

“Allowing untrained visa holders to take on these jobs with zero experience will cut wages and increase the odds of consumers eating contaminated meat.

“This is a bill that both Republicans and Democrats should strongly oppose.”