Yes Costco is a great company to work for great pay/benefits we take care of our employees. 20 years in i'm not going anywhere.

Yes once word gets out what Costco pays applications roll in. I'm in a new market and was surprised when I look at applications there are very few actual meat cutters in the system. I'll have to look but CT has another location coming this year not sure where. Go to addicted to Costco.com it should say where the location is and others coming to the northeast. You have to get your foot in the door I don't care if you have drive a hour away for a clean up job it eventually pays $21.00 a hour anyway. Then wait for a opening and transfer we promote from within.

I work as a floater cutter for the Southern Connecticut district of Stop & Shop. They send me to different stores to meet extra need and fill in for vacation times. My home store is the busiest in the district so I work there when I'm not needed elsewhere. I make $18.75/hr. $20.25/hr for Sundays and overtime is an even $28/hr. That being said, I do live in an expensive state and my company is unionized. I've met cutters with 10+ years with the company who make about $32/hr base, but from what I hear its nearly impossible to get up to that wage these days unless you are managing a department.

Experience wise, I had a year long apprenticeship under my belt when I applied and took my cut test. My apprenticeship was relatively short, but I was hired me as a journeyman after my cut test. I think I got lucky. I came into the company knowing how to cut everything, but I really wasnt an effective production oriented cutter until I worked this job for a few months.

mimeatguy wrote:

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Yah I was part of a crew that organized the meat dept of a store and the company fought to get the manager included in the vote and it was allowed. He did his best to sway some of the weaker voters and we did our best to bring them back from the brink and we won but the manager was all company and reported everything to them and did everything he could to tarnish my reputation and that of some of my brothers. It was a rough road I did travel but I wouldn't change a thing if I had it to do all over. People bash the union and they do many things to deserve that. I'll agreee I've had my share of gripes, but that being said I wouldn't want to go back to the "pre-union days" which is the the way the country seems to be headed with the republicans at the helm in so many states. GOD HELP THE WORKIN' MAN IF THIS CONTINUES! People don't realize that non-union companies that provide decent pay and benefits do so because of the threat of union organization in spite of what they might tell you to the contrary.

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 Yes, I agree, I'm not necessarily a union guy but the unions have definitely kept the non union companies in line as far as wages go. Where I am it's about 18 to 25 an hour. Took me 15 years to get to 25 and I'll be retiring before I know it

I agree I would not be in the business if I was not making what I am currently at 38.50 new managers for my company start at 31.00. At my rate raising 4 kids I'm stilling living paycheck to paycheck. I think 35 per hour is a little high but I do believe meat cutters should be in the 25 per hour range. Meat cutters, plumbers, and electricians, school teacher, police officer, all these skilled jobs were all in the same salary range in the 70s and 80s . Now look at the gap and guess who is the lowest paid and least respected. I'm a 3rd generation meat cutter been in the business 30 years and love what I do.
Something has to be done to save the trade.

While you wish you got out 10 years sooner I wish I could stay in it another 10  lol

I never had a problem with pay, I was always a high paid meat cutter, even when in the union, my skill and passion got me a check ( stock ) under the table from the company. All meat cutters in that time around my part of the country that produced profit got paid for it in some way or form

Chad wrote:

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The hours and days off are probably one of the main things I enjoy. I get off at 2 p.m. everyday gives me 3 hours to do whatever I need before the rest of the world 9to5ers get off. Getting up at 4 a.m. I avoid all traffic and would never want weekends off I enjoy 1 day off in the middle of the week Wednesday and 1 weekend day off Sunday. I have had this schedule for 20 years and love it. Also gives you plenty of time to run other businesses outside your normal job for extra money. I have never had trouble with the pay either, I think every neighborhood Ive lived in I am the least educated and usually the highest paid.

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 Chad,

   At the time I liked those hours too.  My day off was Wednesday.  I worked 6-2:30 every other day except Sunday when I worked 5-9.  It was nice to have Wednesday to do things like doctor appts or get the car serviced, etc. As a meat mgr I had the best schedule and definitely agree about avoiding traffic.  BUT since I left I discovered that having a real weekend is a new and enjoyable experience. Even though I am "on-call" 24/7/365, those 2 days off in a row have allowed me to really better enjoy time with the family and it allows me to forget about work for a bit like I could never do before. I just never realized what I was missing.  The same with holidays.  Before, every holiday was more a merchandising event than a time to celebrate. Make no mistake, I loved my 28 years as a meat cutter/meat manager, and I only left because of money.

jimhenry2000 wrote:

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apcowboy wrote:

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While you wish you got out 10 years sooner I wish I could stay in it another 10  lol

I never had a problem with pay, I was always a high paid meat cutter, even when in the union, my skill and passion got me a check ( stock ) under the table from the company. All meat cutters in that time around my part of the country that produced profit got paid for it in some way or form

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 Leon,

     For most of my career I thought I was a well paid cutter.  We were a union shop in the Phila., NJ, NY market.  I know there were no union cutters in that market paid more, and several union shops made less.  I don't know but would be surprised if there were any non-union shops that paid more.  I do admit we had excellent benefits.  While I did not get any pay "under the table" my employer started a bonus program as more and more cutters did not think being a meat manager was worth it. My dept. was consistently  in the top 5 of our 150 store chain so not many got a higher bonus.  Still, I don't think I ever broke $50,000/year by the time I left in 1995.  I began to realize that while I had always felt I was well compensated, most everyone I knew outside the business made a heck of a lot more than I did.  If you don't mind saying, what was your pay like ?

     My time in the retail meat trade was memorable.  As probably everyone here knows, you see just about everything if you work any amount of time in a supermarket.  I've seen and met celebrities, armed robberies, crazy people, politicians, and naked women.

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JimHenry,   all that have been on this site a while are pretty familiar with your story. You made pretty big change for this business which all of us hard working, knowledgeable and skilled workers deserve but many if not most don't get! You wanted more and went out and got it. Kudos to you brother. Not all of us have that opportunity for a whole host of reasons. Not all care to do that either. I'd say most of us in this business actually like what we're doing and have found a way to get by. Myself, if something don't change soon I'll get out one way or another. If I had to guess though I'd have to say you miss it because you've hung around this site for quite some time now. Things aren't the way they used to be for a LOT of people! There are a lot of people doing better but there are a lot doing a lot worse also. God bless those sticking it out and fighting to keep the trade alive and for better pay and benefits. If I were you I think I'd consider myself blessed and let the rest of us fight it out. We get it!   

jimhenry2000 wrote:

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apcowboy wrote:

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While you wish you got out 10 years sooner I wish I could stay in it another 10  lol

I never had a problem with pay, I was always a high paid meat cutter, even when in the union, my skill and passion got me a check ( stock ) under the table from the company. All meat cutters in that time around my part of the country that produced profit got paid for it in some way or form

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 Leon,

     For most of my career I thought I was a well paid cutter.  We were a union shop in the Phila., NJ, NY market.  I know there were no union cutters in that market paid more, and several union shops made less.  I don't know but would be surprised if there were any non-union shops that paid more.  I do admit we had excellent benefits.  While I did not get any pay "under the table" my employer started a bonus program as more and more cutters did not think being a meat manager was worth it. My dept. was consistently  in the top 5 of our 150 store chain so not many got a higher bonus.  Still, I don't think I ever broke $50,000/year by the time I left in 1995.  I began to realize that while I had always felt I was well compensated, most everyone I knew outside the business made a heck of a lot more than I did.  If you don't mind saying, what was your pay like ?

     My time in the retail meat trade was memorable.  As probably everyone here knows, you see just about everything if you work any amount of time in a supermarket.  I've seen and met celebrities, armed robberies, crazy people, politicians, and naked women.

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JimHenry,   all that have been on this site a while are pretty familiar with your story. You made pretty big change for this business which all of us hard working, knowledgeable and skilled workers deserve but many if not most don't get! You wanted more and went out and got it. Kudos to you brother. Not all of us have that opportunity for a whole host of reasons. Not all care to do that either. I'd say most of us in this business actually like what we're doing and have found a way to get by. Myself, if something don't change soon I'll probably find another way. If I had to guess though I'd have to say you miss it because you've hung around this site for quite some time now. Things aren't the way they used to be for a LOT of people! There are a lot of people doing better but there are a lot doing a lot worse also. God bless those sticking it out and fighting to keep the trade alive and for better pay and benefits. If I were you I think I'd consider myself blessed and let the rest of us fight it out. We do get it!   

I just make shy of $20 an hour. The past 6 years saw me net a fifty cent raise and lump sum *bonuses * , which were taxed at a higher rate than normal pay. The guys hired before 1989 still get 1.5x for Sundays and 2x for working the Holidays.. I still get 8 hrs. OT everyother week( for now). Its not too bad for a Union gig consider the other union shops pay 3 -4 dollars less an hour for the same job.

Patriotsfan wrote:

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New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Non Union 
Apprentices start at $11.50. By the end of their three year apprenticeship they will have worked their way up to full cutter pay which is $21.50. After overtime and bonuses an apprentice can easily clear $50,000. Assistant managers are usually around $80,000 annual salary and meat managers usually get up to $100,000 annual salary. 

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Good to hear that at least the meat mgrs and assistants are making decent salaries up there!  Since they are salary rather than hourly, is there any expectation that they work Saturdays or Sundays?  Depending on the state, I think salaried workers can be required to work up to 48 hours/week but I don't know what the deal is there.

-- Edited by Patriotsfan on Friday 31st of January 2014 08:46:57 PM

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-- Edited by jimhenry2000 on Friday 31st of January 2014 10:54:51 PM