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News and Updates
October 16, 2017
UFCW Advocates Safe Line Speeds at Poultry Plants
On Oct. 11, UFCW International President Marc Perrone sent a letter to the Acting Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety at the U.S. Department of Agriculture explaining why a recent petition by the National Chicken Council to eliminate line speeds at poultry plants poses a dangerous risk to American families.
“This petition, submitted to you in early September, would allow select poultry plants to run their lines with no speed limits, endangering both workers and consumers. Even more troubling is that this petition essentially requests that USDA create this new “no speed limit” rule behind closed doors with no opportunity for notice and comment by the public as the regulatory process requires,” Perrone wrote.
President Perrone’s entire letter can be read below.
Dear Madam Acting Deputy Undersecretary Rottenberg:
With the health and safety of over 250,000 thousand hard-working poultry workers in mind, 70,000 of whom are members of our union family, we write to urge you to reject a petition submitted by the National Chicken Council (NCC) to run food processing lines with no speed limits.
This petition, submitted to you in early September, would allow select poultry plants to run their lines with no speed limits, endangering both workers and consumers. Even more troubling is that this petition essentially requests that USDA create this new “no speed limit” rule behind closed doors with no opportunity for notice and comment by the public as the regulatory process requires.
As you must know, poultry workers hold some of the most dangerous and difficult jobs in America. The implications of this rule change are striking, for example:
- Industry statistics show poultry workers are at twice the risk of being injured on the job compared to other workers and suffer illnesses at a rate that is seven times as high.
- A 2016 report from the Government Accountability Office showed that forcing lines to move faster will expose poultry workers to higher rates of injuries and illnesses.
- Increased line speeds will also make it harder for both federal inspectors and quality control workers to properly check birds for contamination that could make consumers sick.
Given the facts noted above, the petition from the NCC clearly poses a dangerous risk to American families.
When the USDA chose not to raise line speed limits for poultry plants in 2014, there was large public interest in the open and transparent process (which we participated in) that ensured all perspectives on this proposed modification were heard – including those of the NCC. A wide array of people and interests, from workers on poultry lines to experts across the country, agreed then as they do now that faster line speeds will make this industry dramatically less safe, both for workers and consumers.
For the sake of keeping hard-working families safe – whether they’re preparing, buying, or eating chicken – the USDA must reject this petition.
Sincerely,
Anthony “Marc” Perrone
International President
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October 10, 2017
Delmar Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Workers Join Local 27
On Sept. 29, 90 workers at Delmar Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Delmar, Delaware, voted to join UFCW Local 27 by an overwhelming margin. The unit consists of all full-time and part-time Certified Nursing Assistants, as well as dietary, housekeeping, laundry, maintenance and PRN employees.
The workers were concerned about not receiving any raises over the last several years, unfair treatment by management, not having a voice on the job, understaffing, and questionable PTO calculations. Even though the company hired union busters and tried to intimidate some workers using fear tactics, the workers stood strong and formed a powerful organizing committee.
Three Certified Nursing Assistants at Delmar Nursing and Rehabilitation Center expressed how grateful they were to have union representation.
“It feels awesome to have Local 27 be our representatives. We all feel like it will make a positive difference here at work. We’re now ready for the next step, which is to get a contract that we’re happy with,” said Tierra Griffith.
“It was a great learning experience for us. Thank God that we stood together in unity so that our voices will now be heard,” said Quayshetta Hopkins.
“All the work that we put in to form a union here at work was worth it; now, it’s time to get a great contract that we can be proud of,” said Latroya Robinson.
“The workers’ organizing committee worked hand-in-hand with Local 27’s organizing team, and they educated and inoculated their coworkers,” said Nelson Hill, UFCW Local 27 vice president and director of organizing. “I could not be happier with their efforts and the results of the election. We look forward to successful negotiations, which will translate to a brighter future for the workers there.”
“I’d like to thank and congratulate Nelson Hill and UFCW Local 27’s entire organizing team for all of their hard work in obtaining this great victory for the health care professionals working at Delmar Nursing and Rehab,” said UFCW Local 27 President Jason Chorpenning. “These hard- working men and women have dedicated their lives to caring for those in need, and now for the first time can enjoy the benefits and stability of a union contract. It’s sad to see so many people in this day and age going three to five years without wage increases, as well as having to endure the lack of dignity and constant disrespect from management. I am proud to welcome them into our union family and look forward to working hard to provide them with the best possible union contract we can get them. We will be negotiating to increase pay, improve their working conditions, provide job protection, and guarantee a future for all of these hard-working folks and their families.”
October 10, 2017
Kaiser Permanente Ergonomics Coordinators Join Local 7
On Sept. 25, ergonomics coordinators at Kaiser Permanente in Denver voted to join UFCW Local 7.
The workers were concerned about yearly pay increases, job security, the management team in the department, and wanted due process in the workplace. They were also in favor of UFCW Local 7’s employment and income security agreement, which ensures wages and benefits for one year from the time of job elimination, and has helped those affected by reorganizations and job eliminations find new positions.
October 10, 2017
MCAW’s College Tour Reaches 1.6 Million Students
On Oct. 4, Making Change at Walmart (MCAW) ended its “2017 Trump & Walmart Make America Worse” tour at the University of Virginia’s campus in Charlottesville. Tour organizers visited 30 college campuses from September 5 to October 4 to expose the shared values and agenda of Trump and Walmart, which promote the privatization of our public education system and profit from a low-wage economy. The campaign reached 1.6 million college students through digital ads at targeted campuses along the tour, and signed up over 2,500 students to join the campaign to stop the Trump and Walmart agenda.
A large part of the tour utilized social media, digital ads, student video interviews, and text messaging to effectively engage college students about the Trump and Walmart agenda and sign students up to the MCAW campaign. Tour organizers also asked students via an online survey if they think Trump and Walmart make America better or worse. Out of the 1,573 people who responded, 94 percent said worse, five percent said better, and only one percent didn’t answer.
“This tour gave us the opportunity to connect with students and leaders who will be key partners in promoting a culture that values where you shop and who you support,” said MCAW Director Randy Parraz.
October 10, 2017
Local 653 Launches Hustle Pilot Program
UFCW Local 653 recently launched a successful Hustle pilot program with a few of its stewards to explore another way to increase member-to-member communication. Hustle is the one-on-one text messaging platform available to locals through the UFCW International.
UFCW Local 653 wrote a simple script to ask people to attend one of five regional meetings throughout the first week of October. It was preloaded into the app, along with a list of members. As a pilot program, each steward had a list of 100 members, and additional contacts ready if they had the ability to text more.
The script went as follows:
“Hi Coworker, this is Name, steward with our Union Local 653. We’re negotiating our contract ✊? next year & having big meetings next week for us to work on winning together. www.meetingflier.link Will you join me Oct. 2nd 3rd or 4th?”
As each message was sent, Coworker and Name were automatically replaced by the names of all the members receiving the message and the name of the steward sending the messages. Even better, each member was able to respond individually and the steward was able to engage in a personalized, one-on-one text conversation.
Also included in the message was a Fist Emoji (Union Power!) to catch people’s attention and a link to an online flier so people could click for more information.
In total, five UFCW Local 653 stewards sent messages to 925 coworkers in only a few hours. Over 150 members responded to the messages, which is a very high response rate. The Hustle effort complemented the one-on-one conversations stewards were having with members to encourage high turnout to the regional meetings.
Paul Swanson, one of the UFCW Local 653 stewards who participated, said, “The preloaded messages with basic answers were pretty easy to use. I reached 100 members in less than 15 minutes. Fifteen to 20 members responded to me with additional questions that I was pleased to answer.”
Alex Kunau, another UFCW Local 653 steward, noted, “Hustle was very easy. It was simple, straightforward and I could zip through the contacts fast. It took me less than an hour to get through 200 contacts.”
“Ninety-nine percent of the people were happy to be contacted by a fellow union member,” he added.
UFCW Local 653 has plans to train all stewards in their local to use the Hustle app in 2018.
October 2, 2017
Local 770 helps members apply for DACA renewals
On Sept. 23, UFCW Local 770, in partnership with the UFCW Civil Rights and Community Action Department, Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, and Central American Resource Center, held a workshop to assist members with the application process for the two-year Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewals.
The workshop, which was held at the Ricardo F. Icaza Workers Center in Huntington Park, California, is part of UFCW Local 770’s effort to provide financial assistance so that qualified union members can renew their DACA applications before the October 5, 2017 deadline.
“I feel very happy and very appreciative for this opportunity,” said Silvia, a young DACA recipient and daughter of a UFCW Local 770 member, who attended the workshop. “It relieves me of a lot of stress because the renewal was pretty expensive.”
“They helped us with the immigration fee and completing the application process. They pretty much helped with everything,” she added.
Once renewing her work permit through DACA, Silvia plans to attend medical school. “I’m very excited about being able to renew my status, to continue working and try to go back to school,” she said.
According to President Trump’s announcement made on Sept. 5, the Department of Homeland Security will stop accepting new DACA applications from people who don’t already have DACA. People who already have DACA, and whose work permits expire between Sept. 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, will be able to apply for a two-year renewal if their application is received by October 5, 2017.
Additional information about UFCW Local 770’s DACA program is available here.
October 2, 2017
New “How To” Video Features Local 919 Stop & Shop Produce Clerk
Maia Dubar, a UFCW Local 919 member and Stop & Shop produce clerk in Connecticut, is back again with tips about how to pick out and enjoy a kiwano melon, starfruit, and kiwi in the UFCW’s new “how to” video.
This video is part of a series of “how to” tips from UFCW members who are experts in their fields. In addition to Maia’s tips about tropical fruits, the series features expert advice from a UFCW prep cook, cake decorator, makeup artist, florist and butcher.
You can watch Maia show you how to pick out and enjoy tropical fruits here. You can also subscribe to UFCW’s “how to” videos here.
October 2, 2017
Local 770 Helps Members Apply for DACA Renewals
On Sept. 23, UFCW Local 770, in partnership with the UFCW Civil Rights and Community Action Department, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, and Central American Resource Center, held a workshop to assist members with the the two-year Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal application process. The workshop, which was held at the Ricardo F. Icaza Workers Center in Huntington Park, California, is part of UFCW Local 770’s effort to provide financial assistance so that qualified union members can renew their DACA applications before the October 5, 2017 deadline.
“I feel very happy and very appreciative for this opportunity,” said Silvia, a young DACA recipient and daughter of a UFCW Local 770 member, who attended the workshop. “It relieves me of a lot of stress because the renewal was pretty expensive.”
“They helped us with the immigration fee and completing the application process. They pretty much helped with everything,” she added.
After renewing her work permit through DACA, Silvia plans to attend medical school. “I’m very excited about being able to renew my status, to continue working and try to go back to school,” she said.
According to President Trump’s announcement on Sept. 5, the Department of Homeland Security will stop accepting new DACA applications from people who don’t already have DACA. People who already have DACA, and whose work permits expire between Sept. 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, will be able to apply for a two-year renewal if their application is received by October 5, 2017.
Additional information about UFCW Local 770’s DACA program is available here.
October 2, 2017
Local 653 Linden Hills Co-op Workers Ratify First Union Contract
Linden Hills Co-op workers in Minneapolis, who are members of UFCW Local 653, ratified their first union contract on Sept. 26. The three-year contract, which began on October 1, includes raises for all employees and paid time off. An overwhelming majority – 85 percent – of Linden Hills Co-op workers voted to join UFCW Local 653 in February of this year.
“By standing together and voting to approve this contract, we’ve improved our lives and jobs. We chose to do this because we’re committed to strengthening our co-op and community because no one deserves to be left behind or struggle alone,” said Evan Adams-Hanson, a front end floor coordinator.
“What we fought for and now have is so real and important to building the better lives we’ve earned and deserve. Our amazing co-op has become even more amazing because we’ll now be able to better serve our community and take care of our families,” said Tracie Lemberg, who works in health and body care.
“As a working parent, having a reasonable and flexible schedule that allows me to spend time with my kids is critical. Thanks to our new union contract, I won’t be penalized for taking time off to attend parent-teacher conferences or caring for my kids when they get sick,” said Heidi Souza, who works in the deli department
“Co-op values are union values, so we feel this contract will only make Linden Hills Co-op and the local community stronger,” said UFCW Local 653 President Matt Utecht. “I am inspired by the Linden Hills workers’ courage to stand up. Our union family is proud to help everyone at Linden Hills improve their workplace and raise standards for all retail workers in Minnesota.”
October 2, 2017
Albertsons Deli Workers Join Local 368A
On Sept. 21, deli workers at Albertsons store #169 in Boise, Idaho, voted to join UFCW Local 368A by an overwhelming margin. The grocery and meat departments in the Albertsons store were already organized by UFCW Local 368A, and union members who work in the store and in neighboring stores in the Treasure Valley played a crucial role by standing in solidarity with the deli workers.
“We are really happy we can now sit down and negotiate with Albertsons over several issues we really care about,” said Andrew Cade, who has worked at the store’s deli since September of 2016. “For some time now, we have seen our coworkers in the same store enjoy the benefits of a union contract, such as affordable healthcare, and now we have a real opportunity to bargain for some of those same things.”
Joshua Barton, a frozen supervisor who served as the union’s observer during the election, noted union members’ encouragement was crucial in helping his coworkers stand for what they deserve.
“We have been talking to them during breaks and after shifts about the fact that they, too, have a right to organize and bargain for what they need, just the way we already do,” Barton said.