SEATTLE — Washington state's biggest labor union is celebrating graduation week with the certification of some apprentice students who made the cut.
UGCW Local 3000 represents 55,000 workers in more than 35,000 grocery stores across the state. The Seattle Meat Cutter Apprenticeship Program's class of 2022 features a group of students who have met the required two-year, 4,000 hours of paid, on-the-job training in all aspects of meat cutting.
The Georgetown campus of South Seattle Community College features a “meat lab” where apprenticeship students work with the various machines, tools and meats to perfect the trade. The apprenticeship program of King County was established in 1946 and has become a nationally-recognized program that teaches a diverse student population to become experts in the meat cutting trade.
Tim Phelan has more than 40 years of experience working in the meat cutting industry and said these students are entering a high in-demand profession.
“It’s an old trade and many of the baby boomers are retiring and leaving the industry, so there’s jobs to fill and these are good-paying, family-wage jobs," Phelan said.
Phelan is hosting his graduates with their families in a celebratory barbecue of sorts.
“They’ll cut up a lamb and show off their skills before we eat and hand them their certificate,” Phelan said.
Phelan said the most popular keepsake from graduation is actually their engraved knife.
“The Scimitar is symbolic and has become a popular tradition in this trade.”
WeTrain Washington is supporting The Meat Cutters Apprenticeship Program through pre-apprenticeship services. Executive Director Evan Woods said they’re looking to expand to offer the state's first fish monger registered apprenticeship program.
“We just expanded for the fist time in seventy-five years into Snohomish County, so we now have the reach and support to welcome in a new generation of experienced meat cutters," Woods said.
A point of pride in the Seattle Puget Sound Meat Cutters Program is the business side of the certification.
“It’s really also about becoming a leader, about learning about the value of meats, so we are training meat merchandisers and market managers and dozens of our apprenticeship graduates have gone on to become store directors and management figures with grocery stores around the state.”
Anyone looking to explore a potential career in Meat Industry can check out the NEW Meat Cutters Pre-Apprentice meat cutting program through WeTrain Washington. More information on the Seattle Puget Sound Meat Cutters Program is available through the union website.