People need to get real here, and it's a sad reality for union members in the retail meat trade.  The economy is in a constant state of change. Employers need to compete in the real world or they will not be able to provide ANY jobs, union or not. An employer's FIRST responsibility is to its OWNERS (usually stockholders), NOT to its employees.  If an employer does not generate income and wealth for its owners there is no reason for it to exist, and it won't.  I don't claim to be very familiar with the environment in the northwest  but I'm familiar with the heavily unionized northeast.  Here, there are many successful non-union chains such as Giant, Target, Wegmans. Whole Foods, every drug store chain now selling groceries, the corner mom and pop, the large box store chains such as Walmart, Sams Club, Costco, BJ's, etc.  I am AMAZED that some unionized chains such as Kroger, Acme, Pathmark, A&P, Super Fresh, etc, are STILL in BUSINESS! My wife works part time for Pathmark, is guaranteed just 13 hours per week, and the company still provides full benefits for our entire family! How can they afford this?  I left the trade in  1995 after 28 years because I felt I was not properly compensated at $21/hour and sadly, many of the highly skilled meatcutters I converse with in this forum earn EVEN LESS THAN THIS TODAY ALMOST 20 YEARS LATER!  If you want to stay in the trade, you deserve to be successful and earn a good living.  The only way to do this is to find the correct location and open your own shop.  For that you need to be more than a good cutter, you need good business acumen.  Acquire some additional skills!  Everyone should have multiple skills and multiple ways to earn a living.

Jim