Meat Cutters to Reject Offer, Union Says

As union officials representing 8,000 meat cutters counted ballots Sunday night, they predicted that their rank and file would overwhelmingly reject a contract offer intended to avert a strike at seven of the Southland’s largest supermarket chains.

“We’ve received an offer that is totally unacceptable,” said Bob Bleiweiss, spokesman for United Food and Commercial Workers Locals 905 and 1036. He said the contract offer surprised union officials “because we thought we were making progress.”

Bleiweiss said there would be no immediate walkout at Albertsons, Alpha Beta, Lucky, Ralphs, Boys, Stater Bros. and Vons stores. “But we may be forced to strike if this isn’t ironed out in the next couple of days,” he said.

One major sticking point is the proposed pay raise, which Bleiweiss called inadequate. He said management offered a 25-cents-an-hour pay hike at the end of the second contract year followed by a one-time $500 bonus the next year. The union also objects to contract language that Bleiweiss said would result in meat cutters getting replaced by lower-salaried meat clerks.

A management spokesman would not comment on details of the offer but said the talks were less hostile than a 1985 contract dispute that led to an eight-week strike.

“I don’t think either side wants to go through that again,” said David Willauer, vice president of the Food Employers Council, an association of food industry employers.

Bleiweiss said that union and management have tentatively scheduled new negotiations for 10 a.m. today.