Pros
The Union negotatated benefits are pretty good, and it actually deters one from becoming a salaried employee because any pay raise would be offset by the money put into healthcare. Being a full time employee means at least a guarantee of 48 hours a week. So it is job security for those who are steady and reliable. The pay for a skilled trade such as meat cutting is lower than the national average, but it is still better than the majority of clerks.
Cons
It is a very stiffling workplace. They have so many different priorities that employees are caught in a morass of conflict and Catch 22. Everything is vital and must be done yesterday, but they keep staffing to the barest minumum and expect the strictest of standards to be followed to the point that one person must do the work of two or three. Yet they have so many different managers and suits and executives giving you directives to follow every single day all at once that you cant make a move without being wrong. They play games with the numbers to keep the hours to a minimum, compared to what they actually want accomplished. Customers are disappointed, employees are disappointed. It is actually self defeating because a better morale would lead to better sales. The job is hardest for those who care about it the most.