Clemens Food Group announced Friday that it plans to close its recently acquired pork plant in Lancaster and lay off 193 workers while it continues to look for a buyer that will keep the factory going.
However, the reassurances, are not swaying the union representing production workers at the plant, the former Kunzler & Company factory acquired by Clemens in May.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 152 filed a grievance Friday with the National Labor Relations Board claiming Clemens has broken labor laws by failing to provide information requested in the course of ongoing contract negotiations and shifted work to other facilities “in an effort to undermine the union.”
The two sides have been negotiating a new labor agreement.
The company declined to comment on the union grievance and said it is focusing its “efforts on ensuring that the workers directly affected are supported through this transition.”
In a previous statement, Clemens said it has been committed to transparency since buying the Kunzler plant. Kunzler was a family-owned maker of hot dogs, bacon and other pork products.
“These updates have included operational adjustments, potential plant buyer prospects and statuses, and customer news,” the company said. “Our commitment continues with today’s WARN Notice.”
What’s the notice: Clemens plans to close the plant at 652 Manor St. by Dec. 7, affecting 193 workers, according to the notice, filed under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
In its announcement, the company said it is had “many conversations with an interested buyer” for the plant and that it hopes workers would have opportunities under new ownership.
The union has asked for more information about the potential sale, said Daniel Ross, president of the union local, which represents about 145 workers at the factory. But the company has told him that there are non-disclosure agreements in place.
Ross said the company initially gave the union the impression that it planned to keep the plant open. “They’ve continued to just move the needle,” he said.
The plant, he added, is in need of capital investment.
What’s next: The union is scheduled to meet with company representatives on Wednesday, Ross said.
In addition to filing a grievance, the union is weighing other legal moves, including lawsuits, Ross said. “We’re exploring every option necessary to protect the interests of the members of Local 152.”
He said he also has reached out to Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace to discuss the impact of losing good-paying union jobs.
“It’s going to have a trickle-down effect on the town, and that’s the sad part about this whole thing,” Ross said.
The background: Founded in 1895, Clemens is one of the country’s largest pork processors with more than 5,000 employees.
Best known for its Hatfield hot dog brand, Clemens has plants in Hatfield and Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and in Coldwater, Michigan.
In late September, Clemens affiliate Country View Family Farms cut the ribbon on a $47.3 million feed mill expansion in New Columbia, Union County.
Based in Middletown, Country View contracts with farmers to raise hogs. The company received a $255,000 Pennsylvania First grant for the feed-mill expansion in 2022, according to news reports at the time.
The grants can be used for machinery, equipment, job training, infrastructure, working capital, and land and building improvements, among other project costs.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Clemens Food Group on the union grievance.
