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News and Updates
Press Releases
July 23, 2016
Senator Tim Kaine is a VP Pick for Hard-Working Families
Senator Kaine is the “right choice to help build a better America and fight for the issues that matter to our union family”
For Immediate Release: July 22, 2016
Contact: Erikka Knuti, eknuti@ufcw.org, 202-256-6874
Washington, D.C. – Today, Marc Perrone, the International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), released the following statement in response to Secretary Hillary Clinton’s choice of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate:
“Again and again, Senator Kaine has supported hard-working families and worked to make their lives better. When a plan to sell grocery stores in Virginia was announced earlier this year, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of UFCW families, Senator Kaine stood with us as we successfully rallied the community to save local jobs. Senator Kaine will help Secretary Clinton to build a better America and fight for the issues that matter to our union family.”
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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.
July 21, 2016
New 2016 Ad Campaign Launches During Trump’s Final Night of Republican Convention
Real Hard-Working Americans Highlight the Issues, Stark Choice in 2016 Election: Donald Trump or a Better America
Washington, D.C. – Today, a stirring national television ad that highlights the defining issues and striking choice that hard-working Americans face in this election was released by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International union. In the ad, members of the UFCW highlight the every-day issues that will define the 2016 election: good jobs, health care and the desire for a better life. The national ad campaign will premiere during coverage of the final night of Donald Trump’s convention, and will make clear the stark choice voters face as they think of the bread and butter issues that matter in this election.
“For hard-working families, this election is about real, every-day issues that matter in their lives – not just in politicians’ lives. And our members, like millions of Americans, deserve and have earned a better life. The choice is a very clear one for our diverse union family: Trump or a better America. The answer is simple: hard-working families deserve a better America,” said UFCW Communications Director Erikka Knuti. “Whether you support Mr. Trump or Secretary Clinton, Republican or Democrat, all voters need to be aware of the real choices and issues that will define this election. Hearing this from other hard-working men and women is especially powerful.”
The first phase of this ad campaign, called “We Choose a Better America,” and featuring real UFCW members from all across the country discussing their concerns, will air on MSNBC beginning the evening of Thursday, July 21, and continue through Friday, July 22.
The ad can be viewed here.
The script for the ad is below:
“We need change…
the right change…
…for our families
for America.
A real leader…
Who will work to unite us, not divide us.
Who thinks…not just talks.
Who will work as hard as we do.
Someone who will fight for better wages
…good healthcare
…a better life for our families
Stands up for our union family.
So, we have a choice America:
Donald Trump
Or the better America we deserve.
We choose a better America.”
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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 www.ufcw.org
July 18, 2016
After Continued Violence, UFCW Calls for National Summit on Justice
Public Letter in New York Times Calls on Leaders to Convene, Media to Broadcast a National Conversation
Washington, D.C. – With acts of violence against police officers and African Americans shaking our nation, today the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union placed an open letter in the New York Times calling for a national and public summit on justice in America.
The UFCW letter was submitted before the deaths of three police officers in Baton Rouge Sunday morning. It pleads with our nation’s elected officials, civil rights leaders, police and justice officials to jointly address the division and violence we are witnessing. It also asks our nation’s broadcast and cable networks to air this discussion in prime time to help unite the country.
“Even before yesterday’s horrific killings, our hope was that this open letter would encourage Americans to come together and face what divides us,” said Marc Perrone, International President for the UFCW and co-chair of the AFL-CIO Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice. “For the sake of all our children, we must believe in a better America. We cannot continue to allow hate to determine who we are and who we can be.”
Excerpts from the letter are below:
“As a diverse union family with over 1.3 million members, such a national summit would give our members and all Americans the chance to hear directly from our national and state elected leaders, civil rights officials, Black Lives Matter movement leaders, local and state police officials, as well as representatives from labor, media, and corporate America.
“It would provide opportunity to listen to difficult truths, to hear the sincerity of fears and concerns so many feel, and to understand the changes that we must make.
“To help focus our nation’s awareness, we believe that all our nation’s major cable and broadcast channels should all agree to televise this national summit in prime time. By simulcasting this summit across all major networks, the call for change would echo across this nation like never before.”
Read the full letter here.
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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 www.ufcw.org
July 8, 2016
UFCW Calls on Leaders to Make Choice: Act Now or Continue to Allow More Senseless Violence
“Hate, indifference and injustice is dividing and taking the lives of Americans”
Washington, D.C. – Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union President and co-chair of the AFL-CIO Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice Marc Perrone made the following statement on the horrific shootings this week in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas:
“We once again wake up to the realization that there is hate, indifference, and injustice dividing and taking the lives of Americans. The needless deaths of two fathers, one shot selling CDs, the other reaching for his wallet, are the latest tragic examples that African Americans face not only injustice, but death at the hands of those sworn to protect justice.
“The events in Dallas, and the murder of five police officers who were protecting the rights of all us to speak out against such injustice not only fills us with heartbreak, it leads us to question the very direction of this nation.
“All of us who lead, in labor and out, every elected and community leader, our presidential candidates, must now face a stark choice – we will either come together to solve these problems that have led to these senseless deaths, or we will see our great nation torn apart by those who hate and wish to divide us.
“We cannot accept the status quo. We must do better.
“Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and the five officers in Dallas, are our most recent victims. We must act in their memory and the memories of the countless other victims before them who fell to similar tragedies. The time has come for more than moments of silence. The time has come for real action.
“Let us stop burying our fathers, brothers, sisters, mothers, friends and neighbors, and begin to confront the problem we face head on. For the sake of the children and families who needlessly lost the ones they love, for the communities and the nation that has been scarred by these unspeakable acts of violence, the time is now for us to put our political divisions aside, and act.”
BACKGROUND
The AFL-CIO Labor Commission on Racial and Economic Justice comprises members of the AFL-CIO’s Executive Council. Its purpose is to facilitate a broad conversation among local labor leaders around racial and economic disparities and institutional biases, and identify ways to become more inclusive as the new entrants to the labor force diversify.
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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.
June 14, 2016
UFCW Member Explains Why Working Women Win With a Union
Story shared in front of 5,000 at White House United State of Women Summit
Ariana with actress and activist Kerry Washington
Washington, D.C. – Today, Ariana Davis, a United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) member from Local 21 in Seattle, Washington, shared the stage with President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Oprah at the White House United State of Women Summit.
“The power of a union is about much more than dollars and cents,” said Ariana Davis. “I am respected by workers and managers alike. I am a force in my community. And it’s because I don’t stand alone – I am in a movement with grocery workers and steelworkers and teachers. Together, we have a voice. Together, we can make change.”
The White House United State of Women Summit was put together to provide solutions to key gender equality issues. In 38% of households, women are the primary breadwinners. When women earn less than men for no reason, it negatively impacts families in every community. Working to solve gender equality questions will help hard-working people to live better lives.
BACKGROUND:
- 8 million women in America belong to a union.
- A union contract offers a way to give women both equal pay and an equal say in their workplace.
- Union membership boosts wages for all workers—but women experience especially large advantages.
- The wage gap among union members is less than half the size of the wage gap among non-union workers, and female union members typically earn $230 more per week than women who are not represented by unions—a larger wage premium than men receive.
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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 www.ufcw.org
May 26, 2016
Hillary Clinton Meets with Retail Workers at UFCW Conference
In sit down with Sec. Clinton, retail workers talk about organizing and their fight for fair work practices
(LAS VEGAS, NV) – Today, Secretary Hillary Clinton met with hard-working retail workers from across the industry to discuss the issues impacting them, their families, and co-workers. During the meeting, the workers talked about their day-to-day challenges, including workplace intimidation, scheduling and unpredictable hours. The emotional visit with Clinton included workers from Albertson’s, Macy’s, El Super and Stater Bros.
The meeting with Flora Castaneda and Yolanda Pivaral, both El Super workers, was especially powerful as they highlighted the company’s ongoing intimidation and failure to recognize their right to negotiate a better life and a contract providing better wages and benefits. They have both worked to organize their stores and join the UFCW.
Sherry Hamilton, who works as a union representative at Macy’s, discussed that while UFCW provides people with higher wages and protection, the non-union retail industry is still defined by unpredictable scheduling that makes it impossible to go to school, spend time with family, or have control over one’s life.
“I wanted Secretary Clinton to know how important joining a union was for me and my family. It’s the opportunity for a better life,” said Flora Castaneda, a UFCW member and worker at El Super. “I wanted her to know that companies like El Super need to do what is right and recognize our right to higher wages and benefits.”
“I’m a working mom and I’m going to school,” said Yolanda Pivaral, a UFCW member and worker at El Super. “Without a predictable work schedule, it’s tough to coordinate child care and manage my classes. Secretary Clinton gets it. Workers in my store want a union contract so we can have the chance to shape our schedules. To have more control over my life would help me do my job better, manage my class work, and build a good life for my son.”
“Buying a wedding dress or a child’s first pair of shoes, these are big events and we work hard to make them special memories for customers,” said Sherry Hamilton, a Macy’s union representative. “I don’t think people realize how much havoc bad scheduling can have upon a worker’s life. By making work schedules in the retail industry more stable and reliable, we would be able to enjoy precious moments in our personal lives as well.”
Clinton also addressed the UFCW conference, and was introduced by International President Marc Perrone.
“Our members endorsed Hillary because she is the only candidate who truly cares about the issues that matter to them. Regardless of what job a person does, Secretary Clinton is committed to making sure that people who work hard get the brighter future they have earned and deserve,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone. “It speaks to Hillary’s character and her compassion that she doesn’t talk at our members, she listens to them.”
BACKGROUND
In January 2016, after surveying its membership across the country, UFCW endorsed Sec. Clinton. This is the second time Sec. Clinton has personally spoken with retail workers who are part of the UFCW.
The retail sector is one of the fastest growing parts of the economy, but 40 million retail workers face challenges from erratic schedules, split shifts and part-time hours that make it difficult to live a stable life, manage a second job, or coordinate care for their families. These are common concerns throughout the industry and are a major reason why more and more retail workers are considering the benefits of joining a union. Earlier this year, UFCW announced it already had 100 organizing wins in 100 days, reflecting workers desire to work together to secure their lives and futures.
BIOS
Yolanda Pivaral is 23, works at El Super Store #13 located in Los Angeles, CA and has been a cashier there for 3.5 years. She is a single mother to a six year old boy. She and her son live in Los Angeles. Yolanda is also furthering her education and is studying Communications at the California State University, Los Angeles. Yolanda has currently been getting more involved in her union. She has become trained and is now helping to do workshops to help make fellow union members US Citizens, through the Union Citizen Action Network.
Flora Castaneda 44, has worked as cashier at El Super Store #17 located in Los Angeles, CA for 12 years as a cashier. She is a single mother of three children. She and her children live in Los Angeles. Flora is a member of the bargaining team. She and her fellow co-workers have been fighting for over two years for adequate paid sick days, better wages, better benefits, more affordable health care, a fair seniority system, and respect.
Sherry Hamilton is 50, and was a sales associate at Macy’s in the Bronx for 17 years. After joining Local 1-S while working at Macy’s, she later joined the Local 1-S team where she now serves other Macy’s employees for the union.
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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 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.
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.
April 5, 2016
One Thousand March Through South Los Angeles in Support of Respect and a Fair Union Contract for El Super Grocery Workers
—March coincides with El Super’s parent company -Grupo Comercial Chedraui- Board of Directors meeting in Mexico—
Los Angeles— On Monday, April 4, El Super grocery workers represented by the UFCW marched together with more than 1,000 supporters -through the streets of South Los Angeles- to demand respect and a fair contract. The march coincided with El Super’s parent company – Grupo Comercial Chedraui’s – Annual Meeting of its Board of Directors in Xalapa, Mexico.
“We need a fair contract so we can take care of ourselves and our families,” said Lydia Flores, an El Super cashier. “Sometimes, my coworkers have to work two jobs to get by. I have a son who is ill. I can’t do that because I have to take care of him as well. We need fair pay and enough paid sick days so we can take care of our families” Flores said.
El Super union members have been fighting to win a fair contract since September 2013. El Super/ dba Bodega Latina is a Latino-focused grocery chain with 54 stores in the U.S. It is a subsidiary of Chedraui – Mexico’s third largest retailer.
“El Super needs to respect the will of its workers and negotiate a fair agreement that rewards our members for their hard work,” said Ricardo F. Icaza, President of UFCW Local 770.
In December of 2014 the unions commenced a national consumer boycott in protest of the Company’s unfair labor practices and treatment of its workers. The boycott has had a significant impact. It has reached over 2 million shoppers and contributed to negative same store sales at El Super markets during 2015 – its first annual negative same store sales since it began reporting financial results in 2010.
Huntington Park Mayor Graciela Ortiz voiced her support for El Super workers at a rally held outside an El Super store in Huntington Park. “Our community supported El Super workers when they called for a consumer boycott. Last April, the City of Huntington Park passed a resolution endorsing the El Super boycott. As residents and leaders in our community we will continue to hold companies responsible in providing adequate living wages to the workers that serve our community,” Mayor Graciela added.
El Super workers are asking to share in the company’s prosperity, which they helped create. Indeed, although Chedraui reported $4.5 billion in net sales in 2015, much of drawn from U.S. sales, it does not pay its workers a fair wage, offer affordable health insurance or provide sufficient hours to support a family. The El Super workers and their union, the UFCW, are seeking just that – fair pay, adequate paid sick days, stronger seniority protections, and a 40-hour guarantee for full-time workers.
February 12, 2016
“RIGHT TO WORK” FOR LESS LEGISLATION PASSES IN WEST VIRGINIA
Bill only serves to devastate West Virginia and hard-working families
One of the many Local 400 members who voiced why she opposed Right to Work legislation in West Virginia
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW), the largest private sector union in the nation, made the following statement about the West Virginia Legislature overriding Governor Tomblin’s veto to pass a “right to work” law.
“The West Virginia State Legislators who supported passing this bill are telling West Virginians one thing – you have the “right to work for less.” Simply put, they should all be ashamed of themselves. Rather than helping the hard-working people of their state find good jobs that pay higher wages and provide better benefits, they have chosen to pursue a radical agenda that will devastate countless West Virginia workers and their families.
“Instead of helping raise wages, State Legislators have passed a bill that guarantees lower wages, fewer benefits and more dangerous workplaces. Make no mistake, this only serves to reward irresponsible companies who will do everything they can to pay their workers less. This is true in every state that has passed “right to work” and will sadly be true in West Virginia as well.
“Every American, regardless of the state they live in or their political beliefs, has earned the right to better wages, better benefits and a better life. This bill flies in the face of those rights. Everyone who voted to pass it will be remembered for turning their backs on working families.”
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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online at www.ufcw.org.
We are 1.3 million families standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family earns and deserves.