MEATPACKERS REJECT OCCIDENTAL <OXY> UNIT OFFER United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 222 rejected a new contract proposal from Iowa Beef Processors Inc and remain out of work, union spokesman Allen Zack said. In mid-December, Iowa Beef, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corp, closed its beef processing plant at Dakota City, Nebraska, because it said "it had no alternative to threats by meatpackers to disrupt operations." About 2,800 UFCWU members are affected by what the union terms as a lockout. A 3-1/2 year labor contract at the plant expired December 13. Zack said IBP's proposal included elimination of a two-tier wage structure, a 60 cent an hour wage cut for slaughterers and a 45 cent an hour wage reduction for processors. The new proposal also included a bonus system of 1,000 dlrs for workers who had been at the plant for two years, Zack said. The annual turnover rate at the facility is 100 pct, he said.