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News and Updates
June 25, 2018
Fort Bliss Barbers in Texas Stand Together for a Better Life
On May 24, approximately 37 barbers from the Fort Bliss Army Base in El Paso, Texas, voted unanimously to join UFCW Local 540. The barbers, most of whom are women, were concerned about seniority and scheduling issues and wanted a voice in the workplace. The new members of UFCW Local 540 are pleased to be a part of our union family and look forward to negotiating a strong, first contract.
June 25, 2018
A Better Contract for Food Workers in New Jersey
UFCW Local 152 members who work at Case’s Pork Roll in Trenton, New Jersey, ratified a new contract that includes better pay and benefits by an overwhelming margin on June 5.
The four-year contract includes wage increases for every year of the agreement, a continuation of no health care benefit cost-sharing by members, and pension contributions by the company to maintain the current benefit level.
Case’s Pork Roll is a family-owned business best known for their flavorful pork roll found in Local 152 union stores, including ShopRite’s private label brands.
June 25, 2018
UFCW Members Take Over D.C. for Poor People’s Campaign
Over 500 UFCW members representing 20 locals from across the country poured into Washington, D.C., for the Poor People’s Campaign “Global Day of Solidarity” rally on June 23 to demand economic and social justice for the nation’s poor. Over the past few weeks, UFCW members rallied at their state capitols as part of the campaign’s “40 Days of Moral Action.”
“The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival,” was founded by Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis, the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary, and hundreds of local and national grassroots groups. This campaign builds on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, who organized actions in 1968 to demand economic and human rights for poor Americans of all backgrounds.
UFCW International Marc Perrone spoke at the “Global Day of Solidarity” rally, and introduced activist Cortne Lee Roché, who works as a food service employee at Earth Fare in North Carolina.
“The UFCW union family believes, as the Poor People’s Campaign does, as all of you do, that America can and must work better for all hard-working families,” Perrone said. “And I mean all hard-working families. Right now, broken policies are tearing parents apart from their children at the border and in places like Ohio and Tennessee too…. Make no mistake – the only way for us to stop this and other pains is to stand up, speak out, and stand together.”
“I work at Earth Fare, where together with my coworkers, we are organizing together to build a more inclusive and empowering environment inside our stores,” said Roché. “Faced with the reality of being a trans woman in a transphobic world, I chose to organize with the UFCW union to bring a better life to my family at work as we stand against corporate greed and immorality. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it. Everyone’s got a struggle, but no one should struggle alone. It doesn’t matter where you come from. All that matters is that you are here with us now. Nothing can stop us when we stand as one.”
Here are a few images from the Poor People’s Campaign “Global Day of Solidarity” rally in Washington, D.C.:
June 25, 2018
UFCW Condemns ICE Raids in Ohio
The UFCW denounced last week’s ICE raids at Fresh Mark plants in the Ohio towns of Canton, Massillon and Salem, and called on the Trump Administration and Congress to work together and fix our broken immigration system.
Perrone’s statement reads as follows:
“Tearing hard-working men and women apart from their children, families, and communities is wrong. The people who do these incredibly difficult jobs have the right to due process, and to be treated with respect and fairness. Today’s actions will only drive this nation further apart, while also spreading unmistakable pain among neighbors, friends, coworkers, and loved ones.
“Our top priority is to provide whatever assistance and counsel we can to any of our impacted members and their families. The broken policies that led to these and other workplace raids must be addressed immediately. They are creating a climate of fear where workers across this country are too afraid to stand up for their rights, report wage theft, dangerous work conditions, and other workplace issues.
“We urge President Trump and members of Congress to work together to fix our broken immigration system, and to keep the demands of due process and family unity at the forefront. As a nation of immigrants, we must and can do better than this.”
June 25, 2018
UFCW Responds to Partisan Farm Bill
UFCW International President Marc Perrone issued the following statement on June 21 regarding the U.S. House of Representatives passing H.R. 2, the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018, also known as the Farm Bill.
Perrone’s statement reads as follows:
“This exact bill failed last month for good reason.
“It puts hundreds of thousands of good jobs at risk of being eliminated and makes it more difficult for hard-working people to feed their families.
“The House needs to take a cue from the Senate and immediately come together to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill.”
June 18, 2018
One Year Later, Whole Foods Workers Deserve Better
Photo by Mike Mozart via Creative Commons.
Whole Foods has changed for the worse since Amazon purchased the grocery chain for $13.7 billion last June, said UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement issued on June 15.
Perrone’s statement reads as follows:
“Slowly but surely, Amazon is making Whole Foods a much worse place to work and shop.
“This is unsurprising. Amazon’s retail vision replaces good jobs and talented employees with automation.
“Political leaders must realize now, before it’s too late, that the massive job loss this business model leads to could cripple our entire economy.
“The dedicated men and women who work at Whole Foods have earned and deserve better than the treatment they are receiving from Amazon.”
June 18, 2018
UFCW Applauds Bipartisan Farm Bill
UFCW International President Marc Perrone issued a statement on June 14 regarding the Farm Bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018) passing the Senate Agriculture Committee by a vote of 20 to 1.
Perrone’s statement reads as follows:
“We applaud the Senate Agriculture Committee for working across the aisle and coming together to pass a Farm Bill.
“The Farm Bill is good policy that creates good jobs and is counted on by hard-working families throughout the country. Using it for leverage or as a pawn in a partisan political game is dangerous and wrong.
“We urge the U.S. House of Representatives to follow the Senate’s lead and begin immediate work on a Farm Bill that can be passed with bipartisan support.”
June 18, 2018
Poor People’s Campaign: Week 6
UFCW locals across the country are gearing up for the sixth week of the Poor People’s Campaign, which will conclude its “40 Days of Moral Action” at a “Global Day of Solidarity” rally in Washington, D.C., on June 23.
“The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival,” was founded by Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis, the Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary, and hundreds of local and national grassroots groups. This campaign builds on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others, who organized actions in 1968 to demand economic and human rights for poor Americans of all backgrounds.
UFCW locals helped to launch the campaign on May 14, and have been participating in events at state capitols across the country as part of the campaign’s “40 Days of Moral Action” for the purpose of challenging systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation, and the nation’s distorted morality. On June 11, UFCW locals turned out in full force for the fifth week of the campaign’s events in state capitols across the county, which revolved around the theme “Everybody’s Got the Right to Live: Jobs, Income and Housing.”
For more information about the Poor People’s Campaign, contact the UFCW’s Civil Rights and Community Action Department at (202) 223-3111.
June 18, 2018
Local 400 Members Rally for a Better Kroger
Hundreds of Kroger associates and supporters rallied outside of Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic Division headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia, on June 12 to protest a possible store closing in Norfolk and demand more information about the company’s recent acquisition of eight Farm Fresh stores in the Hampton Roads region.
In March, Kroger announced plans to renovate the Farm Fresh locations and reopen them as Kroger stores. However, one of the Farm Fresh stores is directly across the street from an existing Kroger store at 205 East Little Creek Road in Norfolk. The workers at the Kroger store, who are members of UFCW Local 400, have asked if they will be allowed to transfer to the new store across the street; however, Kroger has refused to give them straight answers.
At the rally, the workers delivered petitions signed by thousands of Kroger employees and customers in five shopping carts to Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic Division President Jerry Clontz, asking for Kroger officials to meet with them and let them know that they will have the opportunity to transfer to the new store across the street without losing the benefits they have earned.
“I think they know what is going to happen and we want an answer,” said Kroger florist Marjorie Mathena in an interview with WVTF, Virginia’s public radio station. “And our question is we all want to go in one store. We are one family. We have been there all this time, more than 20 years.”