Smithfield Packing Company

Smithfield Packing Company was founded in 1936 by Joseph W. Luter and his son Joseph W. Luter, Jr., in the Town of Smithfield along the Pagan River, a tributary of the James River in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, USA, to produce Smithfield hams. [http://www.smithfield.com/about/index.php] Today, Smithfield Packing is a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc., a Fortune 500 company.

History

The Luter family of Smithfield, Virginia, has been curing and selling hams since the turn of the century. Joseph W. Luter, Sr.'s first job was at a local meat packing plant. His young son, Joseph W. Luter, Jr., followed in his father's footsteps, learning every phase of the meat packing industry. And eventually persuading him to start their own business - Smithfield Packing Company was chartered in 1936.

In 1962, with Smithfield already on its way to becoming the "Ham Capital of the World", Joseph W. Luter III became the company's leader. Expanding the plant's facilities and product line became the key to a growth cycle that promoted Smithfield Packing Company from a family business into a large, investor-owned and publicly-traded company.

Today Smithfield Packing has become a worldwide marketer of pork products, the largest subsidiary of Smithfield Foods, Inc., and one of America's largest meat companies. It also owns the largest slaughterhouse in the world, located at Tar Heel, North Carolina, USA, and built in 1992. Joseph W. Luter IV, became president of Smithfield Packing in 2004 after having served as an executive vice president of the parent company.

Labor

As of April 2006, Smithfield had approximately 52,500 total employees, 22,500 of whom are covered by collective bargaining agreements. At Smithfield’s pork plants, 18,000 of the approximately 31,800 employees are unionized—about 56%. The U.S. Court of Appeals and the National Labor Relations Board have found that Smithfield has engaged in a systematic pattern of labor rights violations. [ [http://www.smithfieldjustice.com/Documentos/Press_Room/Courts_Decisions/PDFs/NLRB%20Decision%20April%2028%202006.pdf EasyLink Internet Document ] ] [ [http://www.smithfieldjustice.com/Documentos/Press_Room/Courts_Decisions/PDFs/DC%20Court%20of%20Appeals.pdf O:SlipWP2005