Local News in Brief : Butchers Approve Pact With Markets

Southern California meat cutters overwhelmingly approved a new contract with seven major supermarket chains, averting the possibility of a strike during the holidays. Nearly 92% of the workers who cast ballots Wednesday approved the agreement, according to results released Thursday in Los Angeles by the United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents the 8,000 meat cutters.

The agreement, completed late Tuesday night, provides a 25-cent-an-hour wage increase in the first year, 10 cents in the second year and “substantial improvements” in pension and health and welfare benefits, said D. (Whitey) Ulrich, president of UFCW Local 551. At present, the typical meat cutter is paid $14 an hour and the typical meat wrapper $7.90.

The contract will expire in July, 1990, the same time the contract for 60,000 Southern California retail clerks comes due. Achieving a common contract expiration date has been a long-sought goal of the unions, said Rick Icaza, president of UFCW Local 770.

Late Tuesday night, negotiators overcame the major stumbling block to reaching a new contract--language redefining the roles of journeymen meat cutters and junior-level meat wrappers. The union was concerned that expansion of the duties of the clerks would erode the number of the jobs for higher-paid veteran cutters.