Rath Packing Company Records, MS 562, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library
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IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY Special Collections Department 403 Parks Library Ames, IA 50011-2140 515 294-6672 http://www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/spcl.html MS 562 Rath Packing Company Records, 1890-1985 MS 562 2 Descriptive summary creator: Rath Packing Company title: Records dates: 1890-1985 extent: 527.0 linear feet (83 ledgers, 333 records center cartons, 14 document boxes, 3 half-document boxes, 3 card file boxes, 5 oversize boxes) collection number: MS 562 repository: Special Collections Department, Iowa State University. Administrative information access: Open for research; some personnel files in Series 7 are restricted publication rights: Consult Head, Special Collections Department preferred Rath Packing Company Records, MS 562, Special Collections citation: Department, Iowa State University Library. MS 562 3 Historical note George John Rath (varyingly referred to as George Rath and John George Rath) was born in 1821 in Breitnau, Wurtenburg province, Germany. He came to the United States in the late 1840s and eventually settled in Dubuque, Iowa. In Dubuque, George J. Rath began a merchant business, making and selling soap and tallow candles. He also began a pork packing operation. By 1873 he had a new partner in both endeavors: his son, E. F. (Edward Frederick) Rath, doing business under the name George Rath and Son. In February 1891, the Rath’s small pork packing plant and retail market in Dubuque was destroyed by fire. The fire came at a time when many growing towns in Iowa were trying to attract meat packers to relocate or open operations in their communities. A packing plant was a major acquisition for a small but ambitious town. Such a business meant locally-available fresh meat, employment, and typically created a livestock market, all adding to local commerce and prosperity. The Raths were approached by the Waterloo, Iowa, Board of Trade (a Chamber of Commerce forerunner) and were eventually won over. Incentives included $10,000 in capital, land for a plant, and tax concessions. At some point during this process, George J. Rath decided not to leave Dubuque and not to continue in the meat packing business, rather to stay with his mercantile business. His son, E.F. Rath and John W. Rath, a cousin from Ackley, Iowa, began the Waterloo venture. The Rath Packing Company (Rath) of Waterloo (Iowa) opened for business on November 24, 1891, on the Cedar River. Initially, the company concentrated on hogs, but by 1908 the company was also slaughtering beef and lamb as well. Business thrived; lucrative contracts to supply meat to the Armed Forces during both World Wars helped the company grow. Growth and profitability were also spurred between the 1930s and 1950s by innovations such as the fancy dry curing of bacon and the vacuum canning of meats. By the company’s fiftieth anniversary in 1941, the small regional packing house in Waterloo had grown into the nation’s single largest meatpacking facility with branch facilities in 12 states. By the end of World War II, Rath was the fifth largest meatpacker in the U.S. Through two world wars, stock market panics, depression, and drought, the company had failed to show a profit in only four of its years. The years following World War II brought labor troubles. A 1948 strike at the Waterloo plant resulted in the death of a striking union member and riot. Iowa National Guard troops were called in to restore order. Holding firm, Rath management eventually outlasted the union in negotiations, but labor relations remained sour. MS 562 4 The 1960s and 1970s were difficult times for meat packing companies. Competition was fierce and the industry had become high volume, low margin. Profitability was hurt by a decline in per capita pork consumption beginning in 1960. By the mid 1970s, Rath’s 50-year-old four-story plant was obsolete. The new model for packing houses called for single-level plants with continually moving automated disassembly lines. In addition, Rath’s workforce was predominately middle-aged, older than the industry average for packing houses, and thus burdened with higher than average wage and benefit costs. In 1980, Local 41 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union which represented most of the labor force negotiated a plan that, in exchange for wage and benefit concessions from the workers, gave them control of Rath’s board of directors. The employee-owned Rath operated at a loss in 1981-1983. After a series of further financial setbacks, Rath ceased operations in 1985. Collection Description The collection (1890-1985) consists of audio visual materials, Board of Directors files, committee materials, correspondence, financial records, insurance records, news clippings, personnel records, photographs, public relations materials, reports, sales force information, and time motion studies. Series 1: Clippings (1980-1972, n.d.) News clippings from Waterloo and branch facilities. Also contains technical ledger with recipes. Series 2: Financial (1891-1978, n.d.) This series contains payroll, ledgers, transfers, daybooks, audits, bank records, bank agreements and general records detailing the financial status of the company. Series 3: Board of Directors (1960-1984, n.d.) Contains various records of interest to the board of directors including promotional materials, pension plan, correspondence and pollution control. Series 4: Committees (1950-1975, n.d.) This series contains, primarily, the records of the pricing committee including sales meeting minutes, pricing and sales audits, Rath Management Club records and reports from National Marketing Association, Iowa Area Council. Series 5: Correspondence (1905-1978, n.d.) Correspondence files organized topically. Series 6: Insurance (1938-1970, n.d.) This series contains seventeen records center cartons of loose employee insurance cards and three boxes containing documents on employee retirement plans and planning. Series 7: Personnel (1923-1981, n.d.) This series contains personnel files including employee counts and insurance cards. Boxes containing earnings ledgers are restricted. MS 562 5 Series 8: Public Relations (1939-1984, n.d.) The majority of this series dates from the 1960s and 1970s and fall into one of several categories including: promotions, incentives, artwork/photography, packaging, promotional bulletins, meetings, consumer research/reports, proposals and plans. Series 9: Industrial Engineering/Time Motion Studies (1948-1985, n.d.) This series is composed primarily of standards bulletins created by the Industrial Engineering department. Standards Bulletins detail the proper time, sequence, and staffing of various plant operations. Series 10: Sales Force Information (1930-1984, n.d.) This series contains bulletins, product broadsides, sales promotion and incentive information, merchandising agreement orders, display/point-of-sale (POS) material, correspondence, sales manual, buyers’ guides and telephone directories. Series 11: Reports (1939-1984, n.d.) This series contains annual reports from 1929-1982. It also contains reports on consumer preference and market competition. Series 12: Audio Visual (1958-1979, n.d.) Contains audio tapes with advertising jingles/music, market research/surveys, and meeting transcripts. Series 13: Photographs (1920 ca. – 1961, n.d.) Contains photographs of the 1947-1961 annual Waterloo Meat Animal Show and Livestock Institute, Rath Packing Company’s meat packing plant operations and livestock. Organization The collection is organized into 13 series: Series 1, News clippings, 1890-1972, n.d. (alphabetical) Series 2, Financial records, 1891-1978, n.d. (chronological) Series 3, Board of Directors, 1960-1974, n.d. (chronological) Series 4, Committees, 1950-1975, n.d. (alphabetical) Series 5, Correspondence, 1905-1978, n.d. (alphabetical) Series 6, Insurance, 1937-1970, n.d. (chronological) Series 7, Personnel, 1923-1981, n.d. (alphabetical) Series 8, Public Relations, 1939-1984, n.d. (alphabetical) Series 9, Industrial Engineering/Time Motion Studies, 1948-1985, n.d. (alphabetical) Series 10, Sales Force Information, 1930-1984, n.d. Series 11, Reports, 1939-1984, n.d. (alphabetical) Series 12, Audio Visual, 1958-1979, n.d. (alphabetical) Series 13, Photographs, ca. 1920-1961, n.d. (alphabetical) MS 562 6 Description of series Series 1 News Clippings ca. 1890-1972 extent: 4.27 linear feet (2 records center cartons and 1 oversize box) description: This series includes news clippings from Waterloo and branch facilities. Also contains technical ledger (box 3) with recipes for Rath products along with trade and general recipes/techniques for pork and beef products/byproducts. The series is listed alphabetically. Container list Box Folder Title Dates 1 36 Ads, location unknown (photocopies) n.d. 1 55 Atlanta 1966, 1968 1 1 Atlanta (photocopies) 1966, 1968 1 56 Boston 1963-1965 1 2 Boston (photocopies) 1963-1967, n.d. 1 57 Buffalo 1965-1966 1 3 Buffalo (photocopies) 1965-1966 1 58 Charlotte 1965-1966 1 4 Charlotte (photocopies) 1964-1965 1 59 Chicago 1965-1967 1 5 Chicago (photocopies) 1965-1967, n.d. 1 60 Cincinnati 1965-1966 1 6 Cincinnati (photocopies) 1965-1966 1 61 Cleveland 1964-1966 1 7 Cleveland (photocopies) 1964-1966 1 35 Color newspaper ads (photocopies) 1960-1965 2 30 Colored newspaper ads – Mats 1960-1965 MS 562 7 Box Folder Title Dates 1 62 Columbus 1965-1967 1 8 Columbus (photocopies) 1965-1967 2 31 Competitor ads, Armour 1972 1 37 Competitor ads, Armour (photocopies) 1972 2 32 Competitor ads, Buddig 1971 1 38 Competitor ads, Buddig (photocopies) 1971 2 33 Competitor ads, Corn