LANCASTER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--United Food and Commercial Workers Local 152 has filed unfair labor practice charges against Clemens Food Group (CFG), owner of the Kunzler and Company plant, alleging discrimination and actions that undermine the union membership.
Local 152 filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Oct. 4. The union currently represents 145 workers at the meat processing plant, which has been in operation for more than 100 years.
The charge filed with the NLRB details multiple violations. CFG has failed to provide the union with necessary information to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Withholding this information has put the membership at a serious disadvantage considering the facility’s recent purchase by CFG.
The unfair labor practice charge also states “the employer has been reallocating bargaining unit work to other facilities in an effort to undermine the Union and is thereby discriminating against employees regarding their terms and conditions of employment.”
On Oct. 4, CFG announced it would close the plant on Dec. 7, 2024 and lay off all of its 193 workers. This announcement came despite the fact that in May of this year CFG assured the union it intended to maintain the plant and keep its entire workforce.
“CFG is now treating the workers in Lancaster as disposable,” UFCW Local 152 President Daniel Ross, Jr. said. “Many of these folks have devoted their working lives — some up to 40 years — to making the Kunzler brand successful. Upon purchase CFG represented themselves as honest brokers looking to maintain this legacy plant in the heart of the city. This facility has provided steady employment to the community for decades and CFG is showing these employees a complete lack of respect for their dedication.”
Ross said the decision to permanently lay off workers just before the holiday season is heartbreaking. Making matters worse is the company’s proposed severance package. CFG is the 5th largest pork processor in the United States with 2023 revenues in excess of $700 million dollars. CFG currently has offered employees only two weeks of paid severance should they stay until the plant closes.
“Absolutely unacceptable!” Ross said. “Severance packages in these instances typically include continuation of medical coverage and weekly severance payments tiered to reflect years of service. Clemens touts themselves as a family business guided by ethics, integrity and stewardship. That has not been our experience in Lancaster thus far.
“This corporate business decision is life-changing for many, but there is still time for CFG to make the best of a sad situation,” Ross continued. “It’s my sincere hope that the Clemens family will value blue-collar workers in Lancaster over corporate profits by providing them with severance packages which allow them to sustain their families in this most difficult time.
“Local 152 stands committed to advocate for these Pennsylvanians and see to it that their interests are protected to the fullest extent allowable by law.”
