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News and Updates
Issues
March 26, 2014
UFCW Local 480 Endorses Abercrombie for Governor of Hawaii
UFCW Local 480 has endorsed Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie in his bid for re-election.
Local 480 President Pat Loo said that Governor Abercrombie has helped Hawaii turn the corner since taking office in 2010 by creating jobs and reducing unemployment.
Governor Abercrombie appreciated the support and said he looks forward to continue working with UFCW 480 to help build opportunities for the working class.
UFCW Local 480 represents 4,500 workers in Hawaii’s grocery, retail, food processing and meatpacking industries.
March 19, 2014
UFCW Members in Minnesota Lobby in St. Paul
UFCW members from Locals 653 and 1189 braved the snow to talk with their Representatives at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota. The members lobbied for increasing the minimum wage, paid sick leave, and medical cannabis.
Local 1189 member Dave Vasquez, who works on the kill floor at Dakota Premium, was happy to be sharing his concerns with legislators.
“This is my second time being here,” said Vasquez. “It’s important for Representatives to hear from their constituents. Workers and regular people need to be talking to them because that’s who puts them into power and feels the most impact from these laws. Coming to the Capitol helps us make our case and make some positive changes.”
Jillian Roemer, a Local 1189 member who has worked at Byerly’s in Roseville for 19 years was particularly interested in talking with legislators about the importance of paid sick leave.
“I’ve done the math and I’ve lost $240 from being sick just this year. The times I got sick were usually from someone coming to work sick and infecting me. It’s incredibly frustrating. $240 is a huge hit for me I need to pay for my mortgage, food, heat. If it’s affecting me, it’s affecting others. In the service industry, paid sick leave should be a no brainer.”
Legislators themselves were happy to see UFCW members throughout the Capitol. Representative John Marty felt that UFCW’s presence would go a long ways towards ensuring an increase in the minimum wage.
“We need working families to speak up on minimum wage and once we get that victory we have to keep going further. UFCW members being here push that train forward. Without you, it doesn’t move.”
“I thought the day was a huge success,” said Diana Tastad, a Local 1189 member who has worked at Kowalski’s for four years. “Legislators are too often out of touch with working people. They need to hear stories about not being able to feed our children. They don’t know what it’s like to go to bed hungry. The companies we work for spend money on lobbyists and are here all the time. We don’t have that money, but we have our voice, that’s our power. We can’t not show up.”
March 18, 2014
UFCW Local 1428 Lobbies Legislators in Sacramento
UFCW Local 1428 traveled to Sacramento today speak with legislators at the State Capitol about bills working families would like to see passed in California.
They lobbied on AB 1792 and AB 1522.
AB 1792 would require the Department of Finance to prepare an annual report highlighting which large companies in California have workers on public assistance programs like food stamps and Medi-Cal.
These programs were designed to help workers through tough times, not as a permanent subsidy to low-wage employers. This report would be used to inspire legislative action against large corporations like Walmart that are failing to pay their workers a living wage and forcing them to turn to the government for help.
AB 1522 would guarantee paid sick leave for every worker in California. This bill would ensure workers who become sick are given the time they deserve to get better.
For many Local 1428 members, this was their first time lobbying and it was eye opening.
“I was amazed to find out all the work my local does in politics,” said Peggy Macias who works at Food 4 Less. “So much of the work they do to pass laws that benefit workers in California we just take for granted. This experience made me realize why it’s so important that everyone is signed up to contribute to ABC.”
“This was my first trip to the Capitol. I have always wanted to be more involved with my union and this trip opened my eyes to what all my union does,” said Myishia Carter who works at Stater Bros. “The trip was educational, exciting, and made me feel like I was making a difference. The entire day inspired me to be more involved. I am a new union steward and can’t wait to go back to my store and tell everyone about my experience and how much I learned.”
Local 1428 members said they would continue to push their elected officials to support workers in California.
March 17, 2014
Women’s History Month: UFCW Celebrates the Life of Mother Jones
Mother Jones (image via motherjonesmuseum.org)
The month of March marks Women’s History Month and provides us with an opportunity to honor the many women who have who have fought for social and economic justice in the workplace.
Mary Harris “Mother” Jones (1837-1930) was a prominent labor activist and cofounder of the Industrial Workers of the World. As a young woman, she worked briefly as a teacher and dressmaker before marrying George Jones, an iron worker and union organizer in Tennessee. The couple had four children, but her husband and children died from the yellow fever epidemic of 1867. After the loss of her family, she moved back to Chicago to work as dressmaker, but tragedy struck again and she lost her shop in the Chicago fire in 1871.
Over the next few years, she became active in the labor movement and traveled to numerous strike sites, including rail strike of 1877 in Pittsburgh and the coal fields of Pennsylvania in 1899. It was during that period that she became known as “Mother Jones.” She was also passionate about children’s rights and led a “children’s crusade” in 1903 to protest the working conditions for children in textile mills. She helped to establish the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905; visited rebel Mexico in 1911; was arrested at the Homestead steel strike in 1919; and worked with dressmakers in Chicago in 1924.
In 1902, a district attorney in West Virginia called Mother Jones “the most dangerous woman in America” for her success in organizing mine workers. Although she has been dead for over 80 years, her name is synonymous with the labor movement. The magazine, Mother Jones, is named for her.
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February 26, 2014
UFCW President Hansen Statement on Arizona Discrimination Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement opposing Arizona Senate Bill 1062.
“I urge Governor Jan Brewer to veto SB 1062. It is nothing more than a hate bill passed under the guise of protecting religious freedom. The legislation was drafted so broadly as to allow discrimination against nearly any Arizonan on religious grounds. But make no mistake—its target is members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. At a time when LGBT equality is advancing on several fronts, the Arizona legislature is seeking to relegate some of its citizens to second-class status. This is both shameful and unconstitutional. There is significant and growing momentum for equality across America on everything from employment nondiscrimination to the freedom to marry. Those who want to stop this momentum and protect the status quo are desperately trying to fight back. That is what SB 1062 and similar efforts are all about. At the UFCW, we have always been on the side of equality, both in our contracts and the law. We stand with business, labor, Republicans, and Democrats in calling for SB 1062 to be vetoed.”
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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.
February 26, 2014
UFCW President Hansen Statement on Arizona Discrimination Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement opposing Arizona Senate Bill 1062.
“I urge Governor Jan Brewer to veto SB 1062. It is nothing more than a hate bill passed under the guise of protecting religious freedom. The legislation was drafted so broadly as to allow discrimination against nearly any Arizonan on religious grounds. But make no mistake—its target is members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community. At a time when LGBT equality is advancing on several fronts, the Arizona legislature is seeking to relegate some of its citizens to second-class status. This is both shameful and unconstitutional. There is significant and growing momentum for equality across America on everything from employment nondiscrimination to the freedom to marry. Those who want to stop this momentum and protect the status quo are desperately trying to fight back. That is what SB 1062 and similar efforts are all about. At the UFCW, we have always been on the side of equality, both in our contracts and the law. We stand with business, labor, Republicans, and Democrats in calling for SB 1062 to be vetoed.”
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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.
February 26, 2014
UFCW Members Lobby Legislators in Kentucky and Missouri
UFCW members in Kentucky and Missouri spent February 25th lobbying legislators inside their State Capitols. Both states are facing tough attacks from anti-worker forces.
In Kentucky, UFCW Locals 227 and 75 spent the day in Frankfort where they spoke with legislators about raising the state’s minimum wage and preventing Kentucky from becoming a right to work for less state.
In Missouri, UFCW Locals 655, 88, and 2 lobbied legislators in Jefferson City about expanding Medicaid and how harmful a right to work for less law would be to Missouri’s working families.
UFCW members who participated in lobbying felt like they were making a difference. “Lobby day is important because if we don’t come to Frankfort and tell our law makers exactly how we feel about certain subjects, they may never know,” said Amy Beasley from Local 227. “I think we did a great job, we were well prepared to talk about the issues. We all went into our meetings educated on right to work and the minimum wage bills that we need help from our legislators on. It seems like everybody had a good time and they feel encouraged about how the bills are going to proceed forward.”
UFCW member Jimmy Lappe from Local 655 was most pleased about the UFCW’s show of strength in the Capitol. “It’s incredibly important to come here and show legislators that workers support one another. We have to show legislators that we are a force who stands together and deserves to be heard. Right to work is a threat to all of us, not just a few of us.”
Members from both lobby days said they left knowing legislators better understood their concerns.
February 25, 2014
UFCW Local 555 Member Shares Her Story, Makes a Difference for Grocery Workers
Earlier this month, during UFCW Local 555’s Oregon Lobby Day, shop steward Sarah DeMerritt testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of legislation that would ease penalties for those who unknowingly or inadvertently sell alcohol to a minor for the first time.
It is an issue she knows all too well. In June of 2013, while working as a checker at Safeway in Lake Oswego, Oregon, she sold a six-pack of beer to someone she believed was of legal drinking age. But instead the customer was part of an Oregon Liquor Control Commission sting. A police officer interviewed and cited DeMerritt in her check stand as customers looked on.
“It was very humiliating,” she said. Despite having twelve and half years on the job and no previous offenses, DeMerritt was fired and charged with a Class A Misdemeanor. “Why would I risk my health benefits, my job, my seniority, my life?” she told the committee. “I thought the customer looked old enough to purchase alcohol and was a familiar neighbor that I had carded and sold to in the past.”
DeMerritt, who now works at Haggen, stressed that she takes her responsibility to keep alcohol out of the hands of minors very seriously and had passed all previous stings. Senate Bill 1546 would make penalties for first-time offenders more proportional.
Yesterday the Oregon House passed this legislation, joining the Senate in giving it overwhelming support. Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber said he will sign it into law.
“I do not want other employees to have this experience,” DeMerritt said. “I do not want them to have to fight so hard.” By having the courage to share her story, DeMerritt is helping make the system fairer for all grocery workers in Oregon.
February 19, 2014
UFCW Local 555 Members Hold Oregon Lobby Day
Members of UFCW Local 555 spent February 12 at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem lobbying their legislators on issues important to working families. The legislative priorities discussed included paid sick leave, combatting wage theft, easing penalties for grocery clerks who unknowingly or inadvertently sell alcohol to a minor for the first time, and requiring disclosure of chemicals in children’s products.
UFCW members had a visible presence throughout the Capitol and found their lobbying experience extremely rewarding. “I am here today so that they can see me and I can speak from my heart about the issues instead of it being just a black and white piece of paper with a checkbox,” said Natalie Someda, who works at QFC in Portland. “Having the gold in the building today makes me feel proud that we are strong and that we are willing to work and sacrifice for union members and non-union workers.”
Ricardo Morales, a meat cutter at Safeway in The Dalles, agreed. “We’re all effected by the anti-worker laws that are trying to make it into Oregon. We won’t be bullied. We won’t go down without a fight.”
Several members talked about the impact lobbying can have. “If we have our representatives standing behind us, we will have a better life for us and our families,” said Barb Bilinowich, who works at Safeway in Springfield.
Heidi Stock, a pharmacy tech at Fred Meyer in Oak Grove, added, “Being here allows us to take things to the next level.”
The UFCW delegation was not lost on Senate President Peter Courtney. “The physical presence stands out and the gold really pops,” he observed. Members said they looked forward to an even bigger and better lobby day next year.
February 19, 2014
UFCW President Hansen Statement on Gap’s Decision to Raise Wages
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following in response to the Gap’s announcement that it would raise wages for its workers.
“Today’s announcement by the Gap that the retail chain is raising hourly wages for its 65,000 hourly retail workers serves as a challenge to Walmart. The Gap realizes that paying its hourly workers enough to support themselves is an investment in their business and in our economy.
“It is time for Walmart to stand up and lead by investing back into its 1.4 million U.S. workers with hourly pay increases. Academics at the University of California-Berkeley estimated that Walmart could well-afford a wage increase to at least $12.00 an hour for workers with minimal impact on consumer prices. DEMOS researchers outlined a clear plan for Walmart to cut back on its stock buy back program and raise wages in a way that benefits workers and shareholders alike.
“The time is now for Walmart to show leadership and responsibility to its workers and our communities-follow the Gap’s example and raise wages for every hourly Walmart worker.”
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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.