Rath Packing Company - Waterloo, IA

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Does anyone in OT have any memories of Rath? I was in Waterloo this week and drove by what's left of what used to be the world's largest packing house. There isn't much left of it and what's left is obviously in ruins, but it was interesting to think about what it once was. The link has some interesting photos of the old beef building before it was demolished. The design of Rath's plant apparently played a part in the company's demise, as newer, single level meat packing plants proved to be far more efficient.

https://www.loc.gov/resource/hhh.ia0524.photos/?sp=1&st=image

 

[LuciousBDragon]

Packing plant??? That’s not a packing plant. OP Mom’s house is a packing plant.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Packing plant??? That’s not a packing plant. OP Mom’s house is a packing plant.

I knew it was coming. But, the first response? Well done. Honey glazed!

 

[stickman80]

Packing plant??? That’s not a packing plant. OP Mom house is a packing plant.

Everyone comes to pork loins.

 

[ConvenientParking]

My grandparents lived just a couple blocks away. Most of my uncles on that side worked there at one point. All my memories of it are as an abandoned building.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

My grandparents lived just a couple blocks away. Most of my uncles on that side worked there at one point. All my memories of it are as an abandoned building.

I read that in the company's peak following WW2, Rath employed around 9,000 people. That was probably 1/4 of the people in the Waterloo area at the time.

 

[abby97]

Both my grandfather's worked there, one of my grandmas and an uncle worked there as well

 

[69OPSMOM]

I don't remember it personally but I used to have a client that had a pension from there.

Or had one and it went belly up. I can't remember.

Just remember he worked there and talking about a pension.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Both my grandfather's worked there, one of my grandmas and an uncle worked there as well

Did you ever hear anything from them about their experiences working there? It's striking to see what's left of Rath today and know that several generations of full careers were spent working there. For thousands of people.

 

[hawkirugged17]

My grandparents met while working at Rath. My grandfather was my grandmother's boss ... then married her.

 

[Jerome Silberman]

My Grandparents met while working there after Grandpa got back from the Pacific theater.

 

[NewVicHawkeye]

Anything with RATH on it can be sold here locally, even old cardboard packaging. I’ve personally sold dozens of Rath relics, usually to former employees or their children or grandchildren.

People really have fond memories of that era. It’s sad to drive by though.

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

My Grandparents met while working there after Grandpa got back from the Pacific theater.

Did you ever hear about it?

 

[Jerome Silberman]

Did you ever hear about it?

Working in the plant or his time in the navy?

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Working in the plant or his time in the navy?

Either or. Spill it.

 

[lucas80]

Working in the plant or his time in the navy?

Nailing grandma

 

[Jerome Silberman]

Either or. Spill it.

Lol. I never heard much about the plant but I know they were married at St John's in Waterloo. I believe it was Grandpa's first job back from the service, I think he was discharged in '49. He was a diesel mechanic on a tug, USS Tutahaco. It was stuck in Florida up until 2017 and was the last of it's kind. Not sure what happened to it after it was pulled. He never talked too much about the day to day, but I know he spent a lot of time off the coast of China after Japan surrendered.

 

[Jerome Silberman]

Nailing grandma

The size of his family suggests he was either proficient or persistent in that regard.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Lol. I never heard much about the plant but I know they were married at St John's in Waterloo. I believe it was Grandpa's first job back from the service, I think he was discharged in '49. He was a diesel mechanic on a tug, USS Tutahaco. It was stuck in Florida up until 2017 and was the last of it's kind. Not sure what happened to it after it was pulled. He never talked too much about the day to day, but I know he spent a lot of time off the coast of China after Japan surrendered.

St John's has been gone almost 20 years now I think. All my aunts and uncles from Waterloo went to school there and my parents got married there. Had an uncle teach there for awhile too.

 

[lucas80]

Did you ever hear anything from them about their experiences working there? It's striking to see what's left of Rath today and know that several generations of full careers were spent working there. For thousands of people.

Working in those plants is quite the story arc in US history. From the world of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, to unionized plants with decent pay and benefits where a blue collar worker could make a living, to Terry Branstad's destruction of those unions, the closing of plants like Rath and Wilson/Farmstead in CR, and the rise of the high capacity, high speed plants run with low wage (Brown and black people), labor.

 

[Here_4_a_Day]

Working in those plants is quite the story arc in US history. From the world of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, to unionized plants with decent pay and benefits where a blue collar worker could make a living, to Terry Branstad's destruction of those unions, the closing of plants like Rath and Wilson/Farmstead in CR, and the rise of the high capacity, high speed plants run with low wage (Brown and black people), labor.

Terry Branstad flooded the nation with ILLEGALS?