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Milwaukee-area meatpacker Strauss Brands cutting jobs after selling 2 product lines

Nearly 200 workers will be affected, including nearly 130 permanent job losses

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Packages of meat sit in a cooler at a local super market
Packages of meat sit in a cooler at a local super market, Friday, May 29, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. As if trips to the grocery store weren’t nerve-racking enough, shoppers lately have seen the costs of meat, eggs and even potatoes soar as the coronavirus has disrupted processing plants and distribution networks. Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo

A Milwaukee-area meatpacking firm announced it will eliminate nearly 130 jobs.

Strauss Brands informed the Department of Workforce Development last week that it will shut down veal and lamb production at its facility in Franklin later this year. The company announced Wednesday it is selling those product lines to a subsidiary of an agri-foods company based in Canada.

The notice to the state said 195 employees would be affected, most based in Franklin. That includes a permanent reduction of 127 jobs for workers represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

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Production of grass-fed beef products will continue at the Franklin site. In Wednesday’s announcement, the company said it is partnering with a Texas-based firm to expand the products offered in its beef operation.

According to the company notice to the state, the job cuts will be completed by mid-December.

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