Wal-Mart slashing meat-cutting operations

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Mar 6, 2000

JACKSONVILLE, Texas (AP) -- Wal-Mart, the nation's biggest retailer, is closing meat-cutting operations at 180 stores in Oklahoma and five other states, though a spokeswoman denied the move was related to a successful union vote at a Texas store.

Two weeks ago, meat workers at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Jacksonville voted 7-3 to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. This would be the first union in Wal-Mart operations. On Monday, however, Wal-Mart told employees in Jacksonville and its other 700-plus supercenters that the giant retailer will switch a number of the stores to prepackaged meat.

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jessica Moser said the switch to prepackaged beef, which will eliminate the need for meat cutters, had been planned for months and had "absolutely nothing" to do with the union vote in Jacksonville.

Besides Oklahoma, meat-cutting operations will cease in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Louisiana, Moser said.

Wal-Mart will continue to appeal the union vote with the National Labor Relations Board. Moser said Wal-Mart, based in Bentonville, Ark., would find other jobs in its stores for meat cutters once the switch to prepackaged meat is made in June.