-
News and Updates
September 10, 2012
What Will Romney do for…Energy?
Big oil companies already benefit from generous tax cuts, so why does Mitt Romney’s plan stand to give them even more benefits? After taking into account all of the tax breaks for the top five oil companies, Romney’s plan would potentially benefit them by $4 billion a year.
Here’s why these companies do NOT need more tax cuts, and why Romney’s energy plan is not good for America:
- According to the Center for American Progress Action Fund, Big Oil earned a combined $137 billion in 2011, or $261,000 per minute.
- Big Oil advocates claim that they need the existing tax breaks to create jobs and increase oil production. But even with these tax breaks, some of these companies have produced less oil and laid off thousands of workers over the past six years. In fact, an analysis by the House Natural Resources Committee Democrats found that “ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP combined to reduce their U.S. workforces by 17,500 jobs between 2005 and 2010.”
- Big Oil and gas companies, their lobbying arm the American Petroleum Institute, and various oil-funded nonprofits have already spent more than $20 million on paid advertising to oppose President Obama’s proposal to eliminate the Big Oil tax breaks, and generate public support for oil drilling off protected coasts and other oil issues too.
- His plan, following the lead of the Ryan budget, would force huge cuts to critical programs including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Gov. Romney is apparently willing to increase the deficit to continue tax breaks for Big Oil companies and cut their taxes even further.
 |
| credit: Center for American Progress Action Fund |
The continuation of tax subsidies for Big Oil reflects the industry’s longstanding political influence.
America needs to pay close attention to the specific plans Romney has in mind for our country if he were to win the 2012 election. The facts show that President Obama’s actions while in office, as well as his plans for the future, are what’s best for young Americans, working families, and the middle class.
September 7, 2012
Massachusetts Co-ops Stick Together and Join Local 1459
Adam Grandin works in the kitchen of the Green Fields Market in Greenfield, Mass., as part of a food co-op with stores in two towns in Western Massachusetts. Over a period of time, Grandin and many of the workers at his store, and the other Franklin Community Co-op – Mc-Clusker’s Market in Shelburne Falls – had grown increasingly frustrated with a workplace that had moved further and further from a cooperative vision.
Health care was unaffordable and the lack of respect by management for employees’ hard work made the work environment increasingly unfriendly.
Fed up and deciding to do something about the unfair working conditions at the co-op, Grandin and his coworkers formed an organizing committee and reached out to UFCW Local 1459. Once approximately two-thirds of the 75 workers at the Franklin Community Co-op demonstrated their interest in unionizing, Grandin and the others moved forward in the process.
“Some people had a false idea that the union was coming in to take over,” said Grandin. “It wasn’t the union coming in to take over, it was workers coming together for change.”
While the co-op board backed the workers, organized opposition forced another vote. Other union workers, members of Local 1459, Jobs with Justice, and the local Occupy movement united with co-op members to show their support for the organizing workers. And it paid off.
On August 15th, the co-op board recognized the workers’ new union, Local 1459, and they will soon begin
bargaining for a new contract.
“I think it’s the best thing that ever happened to the co-op,” said Grandin.
The efforts of workers fighting for better jobs, as well as the Locals of UFCW and other organizations in our communities can together make progress our country’s working people. Fair treatment and good jobs should be a right, and when we stick together, they are a reality.
September 6, 2012
Longest Serving Employee in Macy’s History Retires After 73 Years on the Job!
Can you imagine working in the days when Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in the White House and the biggest movie at the box-office was The Wizard of Oz?
 |
| Rose Syracuse Photo credit: CRAIG WARGA/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |
Rose Syracuse, can do you one better, because she was actually living those moments. The 92-year old has been working for a whopping 73 years at the Macy’s Herald Square flagship store in New York City. Rose, also a member of RWDSU Local 1-S, is now announcing her retirement.
Rose has been a member of Local 1-S for most of her life; in fact, there has never been a time when Local 1-S existed without her membership! Rose was there to witness the birth of the union at Macy’s, and all of the changes that have impacted retail workers since.
Starting as a 17-year-old, Rose entered the Macy’s workforce during a difficult economy, similar to today’s, when America was still feeling the effects of the great depression, and embroiled in World War II. During that time, Rose and her co-workers received a mere $14 per 48-hour work week.
However, after marching through the store, as well as down the streets through the bitter cold, Rose and the others were able to unionize, knowing it would bring about better conditions. They may not have known it at the time, but this victory was one that would benefit the Macy’s workers that came after them for generations and generations.
Speaking with RWDSU, Rose pointed out that “the union fights for you. They really help you. Otherwise how could you do it all by yourself? Nobody would listen to you.” We couldn’t agree more. Rose’s statement reminds us that the point of a union has not changed from 73 years ago: when sticking together, we have a voice that will be listened to.
We’d like to thank Rose for all she has done- serving at Macy’s, and of course laying the ground work for labor movements for years to come. We hope she will now enjoy her well-deserved retirement!
September 1, 2012
Send a Labor Thank You Card This Holiday!
Labor Day is a time in September to enjoy a lazy day off, right? Well, sure, but we tend to forget sometimes that labor day is actually about…labor!
To help recognize the working people that help keep America strong, the AFL-CIO has launched a new digital application.
The new app, found at aflcio.org/thankyou, allows users to send innovative thank you cards through facebook and email, to friends and other people whose work we rely on. The app also features videos from a variety of people, including actor Martin Sheen, giving thanks and recognizing the hard work of people whom we rely on every day.
Want to thank someone yourself? Visit the site to send an e-card to bus drivers, baristas, firefighters, construction workers, teachers and others whose work helps others every day. Together we can reclaim Labor Day!
August 31, 2012
Eat Union-Friendly This Labor Day!
Labor Day normally brings to mind visions of barbeques, the beginning of fall, and a nice, relaxing day off from work. Why not make this year’s annual BBQ labor-friendly by choosing union-made snacks? After all, this holiday IS about supporting labor, and the millions of workers who make our lives better in big and small ways every day!
To see a list of union-made foods and snacks, check out our website! For even more ideas about how to have a union-friendly Labor Day celebration, check out the UFCW snack union Facebook page here.
August 31, 2012
STATEMENT BY THE UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION REGARDING SHOOTING AT A NEW JERSEY SUPERMARKET
Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement issued by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW):
“The UFCW is shocked and saddened at the news of a shooting at the Pathmark supermarket in Old Bridge, New Jersey, early this morning. The full details of this tragedy are still being investigated, and UFCW is working to assist our members, Pathmark, and local authorities in any way we can. While the investigation continues, UFCW will be offering professional counseling services to Old Bridge Pathmark workers. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the workers who have been affected by this terrible tragedy. We will continue to monitor the situation and offer our support to our members, Pathmark, law enforcement, and the Old Bridge community.”
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. UFCW Local unions 464A and 1262 represent workers at the Old Bridge, N.J. Pathmark.
###
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.
August 30, 2012
UFCW STATEMENT REGARDING THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION’S ANTI-WORKER PLATFORM
Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement issued by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union:
“The Republican Party’s anti-worker platform at their convention in Tampa, Fla., this week further highlights the GOP’s disconnect from the realities of everyday Americans. Instead of offering any serious solutions for creating jobs with benefits and wages that can support a family and addressing the growing gap between the rich and the poor, convention speakers like Chris Christie, Scott Walker and Nikki Haley have resorted to pitting workers against workers by lashing out at labor unions.
“America’s workers are the cornerstone of our country’s middle class, and making it easier for hard working men and women to stick together through a union would put more company profits in the hands of working people and strengthen America’s middle class. While Republican candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, claim to care about the middle class, they have challenged the very idea of the right of workers to stick together and bargain for basic rights—including fair pay, health care and retirement benefits.
“The best way for workers to have a say about their working conditions is by sticking together as a union, and the UFCW will continue to fight any action by Romney, Ryan and followers like Christie, Walker and Haley who favor the wealthy one percent over America’s workers and the poor.”
###
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.
August 28, 2012
Fighting Fire with Food and Support
In July of 2009, a terrible fire broke out at the Patrick Cudahy meatpacking plant in Milwaukee, WI. The massive Smithfield plant was completely consumed by the fire, threatening lives, costing millions of dollars in damage, and displacing over 1,400 workers, leaving them without work.
The devastating fire at the Patrick Cudahy plant prompted UFCW Local 1473 to immediately reach out across the labor community. The Patrick Cudahy Worker Relief Fund was formed, and generous donations were made. Local 1473 members then worked with the the Milwaukee County Labor Council and the Hunger Task Force to establish a food bank specifically for the Patrick Cudahy workers. The Hunger Task Force, which, prior to the fire had relied on the Patrick Cudahy plant to supply many of the products in their food bank, was now helping to feed the displaced workers.
With the support of the Hunger Task force and other organizations, members were able to stick together and move toward recovering from the fire. Three years later, members are back at the plant to continue their work and support for organizations like the Hunger Task Force that play such an important role in their communities.
Last week, members from UFCW Local 1473 again joined partners Smithfield, Patrick Cudahy, and Pick ‘n Save in the latest event for the Feeding the Hungry campaign. The 40,000 pound donation went to the Hunger Task Force in Milwaukee, WI. Some of the members of Local 1473 still work at the nearby Patrick Cudahy meat processing plant, continuing to help produce products such as hams and bacon, which were part of the donation to the Hunger Task Force. This latest Feeding the Hungry donation exhibited the special and continued relationship members share with the Hunger Task Force.
Local 1473’s story is a powerful reminder that even in times of disaster, when people stick together, there is always hope.
The UFCW is committed to ensuring that families across the country have the relief and the opportunities they need to weather the current economic crises. As the foodworkers’ union, with members working in grocery stores, packing plants, and food processing plants, UFCW members and locals have long been involved in programs to help the hungry and provide for those in need. One of the most successful, and certainly the largest, of these programs is the joint UFCW/Smithfield Feeding the Hungry (FTH) Program – a three-year, multi-city, coast to coast effort to donate and deliver more than 20 million servings of protein to food banks through Feeding America’s network.
All across the country UFCW members are on the frontlines of efforts to improve and strengthen their communities, and this partnership reflects their unwavering commitment to protect and advocate for families during tough times. This partnership is about bringing together organizations with the resources, the relationships and the know-how to ensure that vulnerable communities across the country have access to well-supplied food banks. Our goal is simple: Get good, nutritious food to as many families, in as many communities, as possible.
August 24, 2012
Union-Made Back to School Supplies
To make sure your child’s back-to-school supplies are union-made, check out this great resource from the Union Label and Services Trades Department!
The flyer also notes that the luckiest kids in the nation are getting an education provided by union teachers, principals, and custodial/support staff. We couldn’t agree more.
August 24, 2012
Millennials Find Themselves in Retail, and it’s not Going so Well
If you’re a young millennial today, you’re working in retail.
In a study published this week by Generation Y research firm Millennial Branding in conjunction with PayScale, it was found that the most common job among Millennials, or Generation Y, is sales representative or merchandise displayer. Not only were these the most common among this generation, but Millennials are five times more likely to hold these jobs, in comparison to all workers.
There would not be anything wrong with this, except the fact that these positions tend to be among the lowest paid jobs.
According to a recent article from USA TODAY, “for an age group struggling with a poor job outlook and hefty student loans, many settle for retail while they look for jobs in their preferred field”, says Dan Schawbel, managing partner at Millennial Branding. “A lot of them will end up in these retail jobs while applying for professional jobs and hoping there’ll be openings,” he says.
The study of 500,000 worker profiles shows that over half of merchandise displayers have a Bachelors Degree, and 83% of clothing sales associates have them as well.
The bad job economy has resulted in many similar cases, where recent graduates are forced to retain retail jobs they previously held while in school, or otherwise. It is unfortunate that millennials cannot find work in the fields they spend thousands of dollars to be educated in, but what’s worse is that the retail jobs they move into, cannot support a living wage most of the time. This is not just true for millennials, but for countless others who work in retail, struggling to make a living.
 |
| young workers sticking together |
Stagnating wages and income inequality are ever-growing issues in our country. Workers who are overworked, underpaid and do not have any job security or benefits are all too commonplace. The fear of not being able to pay the bills, getting sick, or getting fired at any moment is plaguing workers in an industry that will become the backbone of the American economy.
So, what can we do about? We can all take a stand by supporting retailers who provide solid-work schedules, and paychecks and benefits that pay the bills.
Although many millennials see their retail jobs as a transition job, or stepping stone to something bigger, many will end up staying where they are. That’s why its more important than ever to stick together and advocate for what’s right. Union workers at retailers like Macys, H&M, Modells, and Bloomingdales already know that having a union voice on the job means they’ll be compensated and treated in a way that reflects their hard work. They’re able to bargain the middle class wages and health care benefits they earn and deserve.
With a union on the job, empowered retail workers can bolster the growing service industry and re-create the modern middle class that workers had in the past, and what we certainly need now.