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News and Updates
August 28, 2017
New “How To” Video Features Local 653 Cub Foods Butcher
The UFCW’s new “how to” video features Jon Viner, a butcher at Cub Foods in Minneapolis and member of UFCW Local 653, who shows you how to cut up a whole chicken.
This video is part of a series of “how to” tips from UFCW members who are experts in their fields. In addition to Jon’s tips about how to cut up and make the most out of a whole chicken, the series features expert advice from a UFCW produce clerk, prep cook, cake decorator, makeup artist, and florist.
You can watch Jon show you how to cut up a whole chicken here. You can also subscribe to UFCW’s “how to” videos here.
August 28, 2017
UFCW Sends Letter to Whole Foods Board of Directors
On August 23, UFCW International President Marc Perrone sent a letter to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and the entire Whole Foods Board of Directors, calling on them to take specific steps to protect the jobs, wages, and benefits of employees who may be negatively impacted by Amazon’s acquisition of the company. Amazon’s $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods was finalized on Monday, August 28.
The letter states:
“Realistically, we expect shareholders to approve of your company’s merger with Amazon. Our union family’s only hope is that you will consider the well-being of every employee who works inside your stores. These hard-working men and women are not numbers on a balance sheet; rather, they have families to support and lives to build. They may not matter much to you or Amazon, but they matter to us.”
Perrone also made clear the risks for Whole Foods if they fail to do what is right:
“The question now is whether shareholders and the Board of Whole Foods will consider the loss of Whole Foods jobs and the brand impact once customers realize Amazon has sacrificed these workers – the very people who made Whole Foods stores so successful.”
You can read the entire letter here.
August 28, 2017
Fresenius Kidney Care Workers Join RWDSU/UFCW
Recently, over 40 workers at two separate Fresenius Kidney Care centers in Mobile, Ala., voted to join the RWDSU/UFCW Mid-South Council by an overwhelming margin.
These workers stuck together through six weeks of anti-union rhetoric. The anti-union campaign included management bringing in union-busting “consultants” to shut down the organizing drive. Despite these anti-union tactics, the workers were undaunted in their desire to make their jobs better by winning a union voice in the workplace.
August 28, 2017
QFC Clicklist Workers Join Local 21
On August 23, Quality Food Center (QFC) Clicklist workers in Sammamish, Wash., voted to join UFCW Local 21. Based in Bellevue, Wash., QFC is a supermarket chain owned by The Kroger Co., and Clicklist is Kroger’s online grocery service.
The six new UFCW Local 21 members fulfill the online orders for QFC, and load and deliver the groceries. They joined UFCW Local 21 because they were concerned about shift protections. A union contract means they can’t be sent home if Clicklist work is slow, and they will be able to help out in other areas of the store.
UFCW 21 represents nearly 21,000 grocery workers in Washington State, including 4,342 QFC workers.
August 22, 2017
UFCW Makes Case for Amazon’s Growth to Face More Scrutiny
Photo by Simone Brunozzi titled “Amazon” via Creative Commons.
On August 21, UFCW International President Marc Perrone wrote an op-ed for The Hill that details how Amazon’s growing monopoly over the retail sector has negative impacts for American workers.
EXCERPTS FROM THE OP-ED:
All of us, no matter what political leanings we have, will be impacted by Amazon’s monopolistic desire to control the retail market and replace good jobs with automation. This isn’t hyperbole.
In 2016, 43 percent of all online sales went through Amazon; the online retailer also accounted for more than half of all online sales growth last year.
Amazon controls a huge swath of the steadily growing online marketplace and it gives them a distinct advantage over regional and national competitors – which results in job cuts. Public filings show that Amazon played a large role in eliminating more than 50,000 jobs from Staples, Office Depot, and Best Buy. And in March, MarketWatch estimated that Amazon’s dominant growth could remove as many as 1.5 million retail jobs within five years.
All of this begs the question, if Amazon forces millions of service and retail sector jobs to be lost, if they squeeze suppliers to the bone, if they devastate commercial construction because much fewer retail spaces are built, and if they make it impossible for grocery or retail workers to earn a better life because they can no longer find work, where do elected leaders think “good American jobs” are going to come from?
You can read the full op-ed here.
August 22, 2017
CVS Workers in Southern California Ratify New Contract
After months of negotiations, over 5,000 members of UFCW Locals 5, 135, 324, 648, 770, 1167, 1428, and 1442 who work at over 350 CVS stores in Southern California ratified a new contract last week.
The four-year contract includes wage increases and better access to more affordable health care in the newly organized stores. The new agreement also includes improved scheduling practices, more protections during layoffs, and a process for part-time employees to become full-time based on seniority.
August 21, 2017
Pitman Manor Workers Join Local 152
Local 152 organizers Matthew Kane, Hugh Giordano, and Ed Fuller handbill Pitman Manor workers.
On August 18, 127 workers at United Methodist Homes of Pitman Manor in Pitman, N.J., voted to join UFCW Local 152 by an overwhelming margin. Pitman Manor is an assisted living community, and the new members are employed as licensed practical nurses, certified medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, as well as dietary, housekeeping maintenance, and clerical workers.
The workers joined UFCW Local 152 because they were concerned about health benefits and wages. They also wanted a voice in the workplace.
“I was really impressed with our committee,” said UFCW Local 152 Director of Organizing Chad Brooks. “They did a great job taking on management during anti-union meetings, and making sure workers knew the truth.”
August 21, 2017
Local 400 Passes Resolution in Reaction to Violence in Charlottesville
Photo by Mark Dixon titled “Charlottesville” via Creative Commons.
On August 16, the board of directors of UFCW Local 400 passed an official resolution condemning white supremacy and the violent actions of bigots in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month.
“Now is a time to make it clear what we stand for,” said UFCW Local 400 President Mark Federici. “Unity and solidarity are core values of our union family. We embody the diversity that makes our country great. The hard-working men and women of Local 400 stand together for a better life for all Americans. Hatred simply has no place in our union or in our country.”
UFCW Local 400 has nearly 11,000 members who live and work in Virginia, including grocery workers at three Kroger stores and one Giant Food store in the city of Charlottesville. The resolution was approved by a unanimous vote of the board of directors at a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday.
The resolution mourns the death of Heather Heyer and further expresses full support of “all counter-protesters who demonstrated against the hateful white supremacists.” In addition, the board resolution mourns the deaths of Virginia state troopers, Lt. H. Jay Cullen and Trooper Berke M. M. Bates, who lost their lives in the line of duty while serving the Commonwealth.
The full text of the resolution is below:
WHEREAS, nearly 11,000 United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 members live and work in the Commonwealth of Virginia;
WHEREAS, we are proud that our membership reflects the racial, ethnic, sexual identity, and religious diversity of the Commonwealth and our great nation;
WHEREAS, although racism is hardly a new phenomenon in the United States, the Southern Poverty Law Center has recorded a significant spike in hate crimes since Donald Trump’s election, as well as violent gatherings of white supremacists, including the deadly events in Charlottesville, Va., last weekend;
WHEREAS, the wealthy and powerful have always used the politics of hate, division, and racism to divide the working class and weaken unions;
WHEREAS, by forging interracial solidarity, Lipton Tea workers in Suffolk, Va., recently won a union contract that dramatically lowers health care premiums, raises wages and secures better working conditions for all;
THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED that UFCW Local 400 condemns the racist, violent actions of Nazis, and white nationalists, and attendees of the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville this weekend.
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that UFCW Local 400 rejects in the strongest possible terms the ideology of white supremacy.
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that UFCW Local 400 mourns the death of Heather Heyer and will fight like hell for the living in her name.
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that UFCW Local 400 is deeply saddened by the deaths of two Virginia state troopers, Lt. H. Jay Cullen and Trooper Berke M. M. Bates, who lost their lives in the line of duty while serving the Commonwealth;
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that UFCW Local 400 fully supports all counter-protesters who demonstrated against the hateful white supremacists who attended the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, and UFCW Local 400 extends our thoughts and prayers to all counter-protesters who were injured in the resulting violence.
LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED that UFCW Local 400 recommits ourselves to the struggle for racial and economic justice, gender equality, and human and civil rights for all, and stands in solidarity with anyone who is fighting for the same.
August 21, 2017
MCAW Calls on Walmart to Stop Using Justice Program Found Unlawful by California Court
On August 18, Making Change at Walmart (MCAW) Director Randy Parraz issued a statement in response to a California court ruling that a shoplifter diversion program used by Walmart constitutes “false imprisonment and extortion.” The program used by Walmart and other California retailers is provided by Corrective Education Company (CEC).
The statement reads as follows:
“While we are glad that real justice has been served to California shoppers who have been victimized by Walmart’s use of Corrective Education Company’s program, the problem remains that the ruling does not stop Walmart, the largest retailer in the U.S., from using the offensive CEC program in other states.
“The fact that Walmart allowed a private company like CEC to embed itself inside its stores; falsely imprison; fingerprint, and document suspected shoplifters in a backroom; and then extort them for money, is beyond disgraceful.
“Walmart shoppers nationwide deserve assurance that they will not be victimized by a program that subjects them to false imprisonment and extortion if they are suspected of shoplifting. This isn’t the Wild West anymore, and its time Walmart immediately stops using the offensive CEC or similar programs in all its stores nationwide.”
In California, Walmart has put more people through CEC’s program than any other retailer in the state. According to documents filed in the case, Walmart enrolled 3,597 people in the program—a third of all CEC participants in California—as of April 2017. The court found that California retailers using the CEC program, like Walmart, were “acting in concert and are jointly liable for the extortionate conduct.”
MCAW has been closely following and speaking out against Walmart’s Restorative Justice program, which utilizes pre-charge companies like CEC in 1,500 Walmart locations nationwide. MCAW has also been working with state legislators to further investigate and take legislative action against this controversial practice.
August 15, 2017
New ‘How To” Video Features UFCW Cake Decorator
UFCW cake decorator Carolyn Brooks is back with tips about how to decorate a birthday cake 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 Carolyn’s cake decorating tips, the series features expert advice from a UFCW makeup artist, florist, butcher, produce clerk and prep cook.
You can watch Carolyn decorate a birthday cake here. You can also subscribe to UFCW’s “how to” videos here.