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News and Updates
May 13, 2016
“Exceptions are primarily in plants that have unions…”
Oxfam reports unionized poultry workers have better workplace protection; non-unionized poultry workers in Pampers
– Yesterday’s Washington Post Wonk Blog post “I had to wear Pampers’: The cruel reality the people who bring you cheap chicken allegedly endure,” highlighted inhuman working conditions within the poultry industry, as documented by a new Oxfam report.
The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), represents thousands of workers in the poultry industry. UFCWreleased the following statement today in response to the story and subsequent news coverage:
“The indignity with which poultry workers are being treated in America has to stop. Workers need to know they have a right to organize and that organized workers have more opportunities to protect themselves from this type of abuse.
“The headline is salacious, but the heart of the matter is that unionized workers can speak freely about dangerous working conditions without fear of retaliation. This leads to a healthier and more productive work environment and a safer product for consumers.”
BACKGROUND
From the Oxfam Report No Relief: Denial of Bathroom Breaks in the Poultry Industry (page 3):
In the course of hundreds of interviews, only a handful of workers reported that their bathroom needs are respected. These exceptions are primarily in plants that have unions, which offer important protections, inform workers of their rights, and ensure they have a voice on the job. Unionized workers report that they feel comfortable leaving or stopping the line when their requests are denied for too long. Roughly a third of the poultry workforce is unionized, leaving most workers without these crucial protections.
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The UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries. Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.
May 11, 2016
ConAgra Workers Join Local 700
On May 5, the hard-working men and women at a ConAgra plant in Indianapolis voted to join the UFCW union family and become part of UFCW Local 700.
Nearly 300 workers make Marie Callendar’s pies at the plant, which was formerly owned by another company and purchased by ConAgra about three years ago. Organizers handbilled the plant and learned about the issues most important to this diverse group of workers, including better pay, fair treatment, and respect on the job. UFCW Local 700 represents about 300 workers making Reddi-Wip and margarine at a ConAgra plant less than three miles away from the newly organized facility. At the union plant, workers earn higher wages, have better benefits, and have job security through their union contract.
“We can now join our sister plant with the right to negotiate for a brighter future,” said Kenny Green, a lead organizing committee member. “By forming our union, we’re standing up for better wages and benefits, and most importantly, a voice on the job.”
May 10, 2016
UFCW Celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
The month of May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and provides us with an opportunity to pay tribute to Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their positive contributions to our country and communities.
The origins of this celebration date back to 1977, when Representatives Frank Horton (R-NY) and Norman Y. Mineta (D-CA) introduced a resolution to proclaim the first ten days of May as Asian-Pacific Heritage Week. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate by Senators Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Spark Matsunaga (D-HI). The month of May was chosen to commemorate two significant milestones: the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. on May 7, 1843, and the contributions of Chinese workers to the construction of the transcontinental railroad, which was completed on May 10, 1869.
President Jimmy Carter signed a joint resolution for the celebration in 1978, and President George H.W. Bush signed a bill to extend the celebration to the entire month of May in 1990.
Throughout the month, the UFCW will pay tribute to the culture and history of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their positive impact on the labor movement. Do you have a story to share about your heritage and how the labor movement has played a role in your life during Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month? Let us know here and we might share it on our blog and social media!
May 9, 2016
New Report Highlights Uneven Access to Paid Leave and Predictable Schedules
Image via Center for American Progress
A new report by the Center for American Progress underscores the uneven access to paid leave and fair schedules in the American workforce and the need for legislation to address these issues.
Titled Who Gets Time Off? Predicting Access to Paid Leave and Workplace Flexibility, the report examines the schism between workers in higher paid jobs, who are more likely to have benefits such as paid leave and workplace flexibility, to lower- and middle-income workers, who are less likely to have access to these benefits. According to the report, nearly 40 million workers, or 39 percent of the workforce, still lack access to even a single paid sick day. In particular, hourly workers, workers with jobs in the service industry, and Latino workers are less likely to have access to paid sick days and other workplace benefits. Conversely, older workers, full-time workers, and workers with higher earnings are more likely to have access to employer provided paid sick days, workplace flexibility and predictable schedules.
More needs to be done to address the huge swath of American workers who are at the mercy of their employers and at risk of losing wages or being fired if they need time off to recover from an illness or care for a family member. While legislation has been introduced to address access to paid leave and workplace flexibility, it is still too slow and uneven to affect the majority of working families. Since 2002, only three states have passed laws to provide workers with access to paid family leave; 23 cities and five states have guaranteed workers the right to earned sick leave; and one city and one state have implemented policies to ensure that workers have access to fair schedules.
A full copy of the report can be found here.
May 6, 2016
MORE WORKERS ORGANIZING IN THE FACE OF WEALTH INEQUALITY
UFCW announces 100 organizing wins in roughly 100 days in 2016.
Washington, D.C. –Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), America’s largest private sector labor union, announced its 100th organizing campaign win of 2016. UFCW’s 100 wins in 100 days reflects the frustration felt by hard-working people across this country. The economic pressure felt by working Americans is higher than ever and more and more of them are looking to unions for relief.
“A national conversation about wealth inequality is occurring in packing houses and on the floors of retail stores all over the country,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone. “UFCW has 100 examples of how these conversations are moving workers to form a union and take action. Workers are realizing that partnering with an established union can help secure the wages and benefits that put them on a path to a better life.”
Wealth inequality has become a dominant issue in this year’s Presidential primaries. In both parties, large crowds of voters assembled for candidates campaigning on a message of economic populism. Concurrently, UFCW field organizers saw that same enthusiasm cross over into their campaigns. Increased attention to wages and inequality has motivated people to become UFCW members.
- Workers in 26 out of 50 states have already joined UFCW this year.
- Over 50 percent of UFCW locals have had successful organizing drives
- 55 percent of adults under 30 hold a favorable view of unions (Pew).
- In 10 years, millennials will make up 75 percent of the global work force,
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UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing 1.3 million professionals and their families in grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries. Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Learn more about the UFCW at www.ufcw.org.
May 5, 2016
UFCW Local 23 Member Pays Tribute to her Mom and the Values She Instilled
Mary Julia Teslovich Tarka
As we celebrate Mother’s Day throughout this week, we’re sharing the stories of #UFCWMoms, and of the mothers of members who want to share how great they are!
Today, Kathy Tarka, a member of UFCW Local 23, shared with us about her “Mummy.” Here’s what she had to say:
[aesop_quote type=”pull” background=”#282828″ text=”#ffffff” width=”30%” align=”right” size=”2″ quote=”Our family meant the world to my father and Mum. We weren’t wealthy by any means, but so very rich in love, discipline and respect. ” cite=”Kathy Tarka, UFCW Local 23 member” parallax=”on” direction=”left”]
“Meet my mother, Mary Julia Teslovich Tarka. Mummy was in her early 20s when this picture was taken in 1930 at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa. Mummy was the oldest of eight children and also a first generation American. Born in Donora, Pa., her parents both immigrated from the old Czech Republic. She married my father when she was 25 and he was 28. Considered and “old maid” in those days, Mum worked in the Brownsville (Pa.) Hospital for several years before being pulled to work in a private practice for a general surgeon. She worked for Dr. Vesely for almost five decades. Mum taught us the love of life, respect for all people, tremendous work ethics, and to persevere against all odds. Our family meant the world to my father and Mum. We weren’t wealthy by any means, but so very rich in love, discipline and respect. Mum passed away at 92. Her legacy lives on through their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She continues to give me strength daily. To have such a strong, loving, funny Mummy is the greatest gift I could ever want. How I love her.”
Kathy herself has a great story too. In her 60s, she was excited to finally become a union member as she accepted a part-time position at Giant Eagle supermarket. She enthusiastically embraced her union membership by participating in actions, community service projects and by working with the local as a SPUR to elect three union-endorsed Supreme Court Justices in Pennsylvania last fall. Kathy’s brother, John Tarka, also retired as president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers in 2011 after a 43-year career as a teacher and union leader.
John and Kathy Tarka
May 5, 2016
Mother of Local 1776 Member Fights to Honor His Memory and End Violence
[aesop_quote type=”pull” background=”#282828″ text=”#ffffff” width=”30%” align=”right” size=”2″ quote=”This Mother’s Day, let’s honor selfless mothers like Catherine and call for an end to the devastating violence that plagues our communities, so no more mothers will suffer the senseless loss of a child. ” cite=”Wendell Young, Local 1776 President ” parallax=”on” direction=”left”]
Catherine Kelly is the mother of former UFCW Local 1776 Acme Markets member Ryan Kelly. Ryan was tragically killed on his way home from work one evening in a random act of violence. Ryan was a hard-working, kind man who went above and beyond in the workplace. Since his sudden death, his mother Catherine works hard to keep his name alive and fight against the senseless violence that plagues so many communities. Local 1776 has been sharing the story of Catherine in honor of her son’s memory.
Each month, Local 1776 partners with a popular local rock radio station, 102.9 WGMK, to highlight a “member of the month” during the station’s broadcasting. As Mother’s Day is this month, the local chose to highlight Catherine and Ryan. While Catherine herself is not a UFCW member, she has been floored by the outpouring of support from UFCW members and Local 1776 President Wendell Young. You can listen to President Young’s message about Catherine and Ryan below.
May 4, 2016
Viscofan Workers Launch Petition; Call for Safe Jobs
[aesop_image imgwidth=”30%” img=”http://www.ufcw.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/56/files/2016/04/DSC_0516.jpg” align=”left” lightbox=”on” captionposition=”left”]
The workers at the Viscofan plant in Danville, Illinois, deserve safe jobs, they say in a newly launched petition to The Viscofan Group Chairman Jose Domingo de Ampuero y Osma. The workers, who are members of UFCW Local 686, and their families shouldn’t have to worry whether their loved ones will come home in one piece when they return from work each day.
After a successful year, Viscofan has seen positive growth, which is centered on the work done by these members and others in North America. But as company sales and profits increase, the workers say they are being hurt by the plant. The Danville plant had 18 violations of U.S. health and safety law in the last seven years, yet Viscofan has refused union proposals to improve the safety of their workplace.
These Local 686 members are now asking supporters to sign their petition that says the company’s success shouldn’t come at the expense of the health and safety of its workers. The Viscofan plant is an integral part of the Danville community and its workers count on the good, safe, family-supporting jobs it provides. They are asking the company to send its negotiators back to the table with an edict to make the plant safer, the community stronger, and share in the success. Click here to sign the petition.
May 3, 2016
El Super Reports 5th Consecutive Quarter with a Decline in Customer Traffic Since Start of Union Initiated Consumer Boycott
—Negative El Super sales coincide with Formal Settlement Agreement with US Government ordering company to furnish information and bargain in good faith with UFCW —
Los Angeles— Grupo Comercial Chedraui – the parent company of El Super grocery stores in the U.S. – has reported another quarter of disappointing sales growth. The company’s growth performance has been weakened by negative same store sales (SSS) in its El Super grocery store segment as reported over the past year, a period which coincided with the consumer boycott in the U.S. Same store sales at El Super stores in the U.S. declined for the fifth consecutive quarter since El Super workers and their union, UFCW, launched a consumer boycott of the grocery chain in December 2014. The Boycott was targeted at the Company’s unfair labor practices, its failure to negotiate in good faith and its failure to reach a fair agreement with its workers.
The El Super sales decline during the first quarter of 2016 is significant because the company added four new stores in the period just prior to the last 12 months. The four new stores—two opened in the 4th quarter of 2014, and one each in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of 2014. The first quarter 2016 new store benefit represents the largest new store boost to El Super’s SSS in more than a year. Inclusion of these new stores leads to an expectation that U.S. SSS growth would increase, not decline.
Recently available U.S. government data on labor hours during 2014 and 2015 at 17 El Super stores in California and Arizona, eight of which were subject to active pickets as part of the consumer boycott during 2015 and nine of which were not, reveals an interesting pattern. The data – maintained by El Super in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – shows that El Super cut labor hours at all stores in our sample which were subject to active pickets in 2015, while hours for the non-picketed stores in our sample were relatively flat and showed no consistent pattern. El Super workers have reported some store managers blamed the consumer boycott for poor sales and resulting in the need to make cuts in hours, and further undermines the company’s denials that the boycott has had a negative effect on sales.
El Super Enters into Rare ‘Formal Settlement Agreement’ with U.S. Government to Resolve Charges it Violated Workers’ Rights
The Union has continued to seek to hold the Company accountable for its actions with respect to negotiations through all legal avenues. The reporting of negative sales growth at El Super stores coincides with an April 28, 2016 ‘Formal Settlement Stipulation’ between El Super, UFCW unions that represent El Super workers, and the General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board. A formal settlement contains a direct order from the National Labor Relations Board itself and is very rare. Consistent with NLRB law and policy the formal settlement can serve as evidence that El Super is a regular violator of labor law and that EL Super has a proclivity to violate the Act.
Under the terms of the Stipulation, El Super has been ordered to ‘cease and desist’ from:
(a) Failing or refusing to bargain in good faith with the UFCW regarding wages, hours and other working conditions of the employees
(b) Failing or refusing to provide UFCW with information that is relevant and necessary to their roles as the unit’s bargaining representative.
(c) Failing to timely furnish the Unions with information that is relevant and necessary to their role as the unit’s bargaining representative.
(d) In any like or related manner interfering with, restraining, or coercing employees in the exercise of their federal labor rights.
In connection with the Stipulation, the U.S. Government ordered El Super to:
(a) Bargain collectively and in good faith with the UFCW.
(b) Provide UFCW Local 770 with a seniority list for unit employees at its Arleta, California store that includes employees’ dates of hire, position titles, rates of pay, and whether they are classified as full-time or part-time.
(c) Provide the UFCW with the a seniority list for all unit employees that includes employees’ full names, last four digits of their social security numbers, hire dates, wage rates, seniority dates, and full-time/part time statuses.
El Super workers have been fighting to win a fair union contract from El Super since September 2013. The information the company was ordered to provide is essential to formulating contract proposals that address UFCW El Super members’ longstanding goals of winning fair pay and more guaranteed hours for full-time workers.
About El Super
El Super is managed by the Paramount, California, based Bodega Latina Corp. El Super’s business model focuses on serving first, second and third-generation U.S. consumers of Mexican descent. Grupo Comercial Chedraui (Chedraui) is Mexico’s third-largest retail chain with over 42,000 employees in 224 stores throughout the country. Through its 84.85% ownership stake, Chedraui controls California-based Bodega Latina Corporation, which does business as the El Super grocery chain. During 2015, El Super opened five new stores – bringing its total to 54 locations. It has 46 stores in California, five stores in Arizona, and three in Nevada.
April 27, 2016
What Work Does to a Person
Union President Statement for Workers Memorial Day
Washington, D.C. – Today Marc Perrone, International President of the UFCW released the following statement in advance of Workers Memorial Day – April 28th.
“Work can do amazing things for a person,” said UFCW President Marc Perrone. “But, we also know what work can do to a person physically. Each day millions of Americans do back-breaking jobs risking their health and lives to provide for their families and futures. U.S. workers are injured every day lifting heavy boxes, doing repetitive motions, not to mention by accidents and equipment malfunctions.
“Workers Memorial Day reminds us of those we’ve lost and who have physically sacrificed themselves at their jobs. As technology and industries change, UFCW will always push for safety standards that match the modern workplace.”
More than 4,800 workers in the U.S. were killed on the job in 2014, according to the AFL-CIO Death on the Job Report. Additionally, nearly three million workers suffered from injuries and illnesses at work.
Being killed on the job isn’t the only concern. Over the course of a career, it is common for retail, meat packing and food processing workers to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, back pain and sore joints. They gladly take on these risks so that they can provide for their families.
April 28th is Workers Memorial Day. On this day, the UFCW will join millions of Americans across the U.S., and around the world, to honor everyone who has lost their lives on the job, or suffered terrible injuries, sicknesses or diseases in their places of work.
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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online at www.ufcw.org.
UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States, representing are 1.3 million professionals and their families in retail, food processing, grocery, meat packing and other industries. Our members help put food on our nation’s tables and serve customers in all 50 states.