UFCW President Perrone Statement on Adoption of Right to Work in Wisconsin

March 9, 2015

UFCW President Perrone Statement on Adoption of Right to Work in Wisconsin

“By standing against hard-working families,
Governor Walker should be ashamed, but we know he is not.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement in response to the adoption of right to work in Wisconsin.

“Every elected leader has a sacred responsibility to stand up for America’s hard-working families and to help them achieve a better life. Higher wages, better benefits, equal pay for equal work, protection from discrimination and exploitation; those are the rights that unions offer and which we fight for every single day. These are the true rights that Governor Scott Walker wants to take away from the union men and women who work hard, sacrifice, and help make Wisconsin and America a better place.

The truth is by standing against hard-working families, Governor Scott Walker should be ashamed, but we know he is not. He has chosen to pursue a radical agenda that willingly ignores that this law will devastate countless workers and their families. Make no mistake, this law gives irresponsible corporations, let alone politicians, the right to exploit and mistreat countless men and women all across Wisconsin.

Let me be clear, this fight is not over. We will stand up and fight for the right to protect our hard-working union family and the rights of countless families in Wisconsin and all across America who earn and deserve a better life.”

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Key Facts: Value of Union Membership for Hard-Working Men and Women

Union workers vs non-union workers earn higher wages, receive better benefits, and have more job security than non-union workers. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Union Members – 2014”, January 2015, Table 2. Available at:http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm

Women are more likely to get equal pay for equal work by being a union member. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Union Members – 2014”, January 2015, Table 2. Available at:http://www.bls.gov/news.release/union2.nr0.htm

LGBT workers are less likely to be fired based on their sexual orientation or gender identity as a union member. Source: Frank, Miriam. “Out in the Union: A Labor History of Queer America”, Temple University Press, 2014.

Immigrant workers have far more protections as a union member. Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research “Unions and Upward Mobility for Immigrant Workers” Available at: http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/unions-immigrants-2010-03.pdf

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The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.