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News and Updates
Press Releases
November 13, 2014
BREAKING: WALMART WORKERS HOLD SIT IN AT LOS ANGELES STORE
Workers in Southern California Begin First Sit-Down Strike in Company History to Protest Retaliation
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***Follow the conversation at #WalmartStrikers and watch live stream at Blackfridayprotests.org***
LOS ANGELES – OUR Walmart members, some of whom were part of the first Walmart strike in October 2012, have just sat down near registers and next to racks of a Walmart store in Crenshaw. The group of striking workers, from stores throughout California, has placed tape over their mouths signifying the company’s illegal efforts to silence workers who are calling for better jobs. Even as the mega-retailer brings in $16 billion in annual profits and Walmart’s owners build on their $150 billion in wealth, the majority of Walmart workers are paid less than $25,000 a year.
“Stand Up, Live Better! Sit Down, Live Better!” the group chanted before sitting down.
Workers are holding signs resembling those of the first retail sit-down strike at Woolworth in 1937, when retail workers at the then-largest retailer in the country called for the company to increase pay, provide a 40-hour work week and stop the retaliation against workers who spoke out.
“I’m sitting down on strike today to protest Walmart’s illegal fear tactics and to send a message to management and the Waltons that they can’t continue to silence us and dismiss the growing calls for $15 an hour and full-time work that workers are raising across the country,” said Kiana Howard, a mother and Walmart striker.
“Walmart and the Waltons are making billions of dollars from our work while paying most of us less than $25,000 a year,” Howard continued. “We know that Walmart and the Waltons can afford fair pay, and we know that we have the right to speak out about it without the company threatening the little that we do have.”
To date, workers at more than 2,100 Walmart stores nationwide have signed a petition calling on Walmart and the Waltons to publicly commit to paying $15 an hour and providing consistent, full-time hours. After taking the petition to members of the Walton family, supporters committed to returning to stores on Black Friday if jobs aren’t improved by then.
“Walmart is a giant engine creating vast wealth for one family and heartbreaking poverty for many working families, just like Woolworth’s in the 1937, when 100 young women in Detroit sat down and occupied a Woolworth’s store, and won wage increases and many other demands,” said Dana Frank, an expert on the U.S. labor movement, professor of history at University of California, Santa Cruz and the author of Women Strikers Occupy Chain Store, Win Big: The 1937 Woolworth’s Sit-Down. “The strike was enormously popular, because it struck a chord in the public: Woolworth’s, like Walmart, was paying its workers poverty wages, but raking in spectacular profits that the public knew about. In Crenshaw today, as brave Walmart workers sit down to protest the company’s threats against employees who speak out for better jobs, it’s time for Walmart to finally heed the growing movement calling on it to improve jobs and respect working people.”
“We cannot continue to allow our country’s largest private employer to pay workers so little that they can’t put food on the table for their families and then punish those who speak up about it. Walmart’s actions are immoral, illegal and they are destroying the American values that we all hold dear,” said Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer Los Angeles County Federation of Labor.
The sit-down strike comes on the heels of a New York Times story on how persistent understaffing at Walmart stores is contributing to wasted food, un-stocked shelves and lower sales. For the past three years, workers have been raising concerns about understaffing and theimpact on the company’s wellbeing with managers, shareholders and executives. Investors and analysts are also reacting today to the company’s third-quarter financial reports, which indicate that persistent staffing problems are keeping the company from improving customer traffic and growing the business.
Hundreds of community supporters plan to join striking workers later this evening at 5 p.m. outside the Walmart store located at 8500 Washington Blvd in Pico Rivera, where the first protests against Walmart’s illegal retaliation were held in 2012.
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER: UFCW and OUR Walmart have the purpose of helping Wal-Mart employees as individuals or groups in their dealings with Wal-Mart over labor rights and standards and their efforts to have Wal-Mart publically commit to adhering to labor rights and standards. UFCW and OUR Walmart have no intent to have Walmart recognize or bargain with UFCW or OUR Walmart as the representative of Walmart employees.
October 31, 2014
UFCW Applauds OSHA’S Effort to Protect Poultry Workers from Musculoskeletal Disorders, Hazardous Workplace Conditions
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today released the following statement regarding OSHA’s decision to exercise the seldom-used “general duty clause” of the Occupational Safety and Health Act to protect poultry workers from workplace injuries or death.
“The UFCW applauds OSHA’s decision to use the “general duty clause” to protect poultry workers from dangerous workplace conditions, including exposure to unsafe machinery, risk of falling and musculoskeletal hazards. The UFCW also commends OSHA’s efforts to look into practices that result in the failure to manage the medical treatment of injured poultry workers and maintain an accurate record of those injuries, resulting in an artificial injury and illness rate that is used to benefit the poultry industry at the expense of the safety of its workers. The UFCW believes that the safety awards presented by the National Chicken Council and other industry groups to member poultry companies for outstanding safety performance should be reconsidered since OSHA’s findings show that the poultry industry has the ability to conceal the extent to which poultry workers suffer from work-related injuries and illnesses.
“The UFCW represents workers at poultry plants across the country, and our union has called attention to the many dangers poultry workers face every day, including ergonomic health hazards. While the UFCW has been successful in curbing some of the workplace abuses in this industry, too many poultry workers do not have a collective voice on the job and continue to toil in low-wage jobs that threaten their health and safety.
“All poultry workers deserve better workplace conditions, and the UFCW urges OSHA to establish a National Emphasis Program to protect poultry workers from the health and safety hazards that are specific to this industry.”
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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.
October 16, 2014
Workers at 1695 Walmart Stores Sign Petition for $15 an Hour, Full-Time Work
If the Waltons fail to respond, protestors promise to return to Walmart stores on Black Friday
**Follow the conversation at #Fightfor15, @ForRespect, www.blackfridayprotests.org**
NATIONWIDE – Workers from 1695 Walmart stores in all 50 states are calling for the company to publicly commit to raise pay to $15 an hour and provide consistent, full-time work in a newly launched petition that they are delivering to Walmart owners, the Waltons, today. Despite helping the company build $16 billion in annual profits, the majority of Walmart workers are paid less than $25,000 a year, keeping them from being able to support their families on such low pay.
“Walmart workers know that $15 an hour and full-time work is more than fair for the work we do to make the Waltons mega-billionaires. Now, I am only paid $10.10 an hour, which doesn’t cut it. My car was recently repossessed because I couldn’t afford monthly payments, and it is a daily nightmare trying to find transportation. How am I supposed to get ahead with $6 in my pocket that’s supposed to last two weeks until my next pay day?” said Cantare Davunt, a customer service manager from Apple Valley, Minnesota.
Workers are signing the petitions in their stores and online. In Oregon, two OUR Walmart members drove from store to store to gather signatures from excited workers across the state.
The growing support for the petition comes as OUR Walmart members are reporting increases in hours after they have publicly called for better scheduling at their stores.
OUR Walmart member Richard Reynoso, who sent a letter to Walmart about the new dress code policy, not only pushed the company to live up to its Buy America commitment with the new vests; his manager gave him full-time hours in response to his concerns about affording new clothing on his low pay.
“Walmart heard the calls of my coworkers and me. It’s an important step that the new vests will be made in America,” said Sal Fuentes, a 7-year associate from Duarte, California. “Having full-time hours is letting me go to the doctor and buy my daughter new clothes for school—and dress code items. But when my coworkers are skipping meals and relying on erratic, part-time schedules, more needs to be done. All associates need $15 an hour and consistent, full-time work so we can build futures for our kids.”
OUR Walmart members have won similar hours victories—through petitions and members meeting with managers—in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dallas, Florida, Southern California, Louisiana and Chicago. In Dallas, three OUR Walmart members were working full-time hours but weren’t given full-time status. After the workers went as a group to management, they were given full-time status and pressured management to make 14 other workers full-time. In the San Francisco Bay Area, after OUR Walmart members circulated a petition in response to the company cutting hours for ten workers, management restored the workers’ hours.
The wins come at a time when Walmart—the standard-setter for jobs in the retail industry—is getting attention for erratic, part-time scheduling that keeps workers from getting the hours they need, holding down second jobs, arranging child care, going to school or managing health conditions.
OUR Walmart members also convinced the company earlier this year to change its pregnancy policy to accommodate workers on the job with pregnancy-related disabilities. Walmart made the change after OUR Walmart members who are also shareholders submitted a shareholder resolution to the company.
Though OUR Walmart members continue to make an impact at the country’s largest employer, many workers depend on food stamps and other taxpayer-supported programs to support their families. Workers and taxpayers are increasingly frustrated by the Waltons’ choice to keep working families in poverty while they live a life of luxury. While many Walmart workers are unable to feed and clothe their families on their low pay, the Walton family takes in $8.6 million a day in Walmart dividends alone to build on its $150 billion in wealth. Walmart brings in $16 billion in annual profits.
“OUR Walmart members are making tremendous strides at the country’s largest employer,” said Bertha Lewis, president and founder of the Black Institute. She will join workers and taxpayers in New York City today to deliver the petition directly to Alice Walton. “But when the owners of Walmart—the Waltons—let workers go hungry while they dodge taxes and build their enormous wealth, something is shamefully wrong. Unless there’s a public commitment from the Waltons and Walmart to raise pay and provide full-time work, I will join thousands of Americans to protest at Walmart stores on Black Friday.”
Following the announcement, Walmart workers and taxpayers plan to deliver the petition directly to the Waltons—the richest family in the country and owners of Walmart—in New York and Washington, DC today. The group joins a growing number of Americans who say the Waltons are driving the income inequality problem and could decide tomorrow to stop stealing from workers and taxpayers who just want a fair shot. Workers and community members also delivered the petition to Walmart chair Rob Walton in Phoenix, AZ yesterday.
Background
A report released earlier this year by Americans for Tax Fairness showed that by dodging taxes, exploiting loopholes and taking advantage of taxpayer subsidies, Walmart and the Waltons received an estimated $7.8 billion in tax breaks and subsidies in 2013. And while taxpayers struggle to stretch paychecks, the richest family in the country has avoided an estimated $3 billion in taxes by using specialized trusts to dodge estate taxes.
National public policy organization Demos released a report this yearshowing low-pay and erratic scheduling keep millions of hard-working Americans—particularly women—near poverty. The report finds that establishing a new wage floor equivalent to $25,000 per year for fulltime, year round work at retail companies employing at least 1,000 workers would improve the lives of more than 3.2 million female retail workers and lift 900,000 women and their families directly out of poverty or near poverty.
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER: UFCW and OUR Walmart have the purpose of helping Wal-Mart employees as individuals or groups in their dealings with Wal-Mart over labor rights and standards and their efforts to have Wal-Mart publically commit to adhering to labor rights and standards. UFCW and OUR Walmart have no intent to have Walmart recognize or bargain with UFCW or OUR Walmart as the representative of Walmart employees.
October 16, 2014
UFCW Releases Online Ads in 4 Key Battleground Elections
WASHINGTON, D.C. —The 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today announced an aggressive online advertisement campaign in four key battleground elections.
The ads are running through Election Day in Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
In Iowa, the UFCW launched a video that is a twist on Joni Ernst’s original campaign commercial about castrating hogs. “Don’t let Joni Ernst castrate workers’ rights,” the narrator says. Watch the ad here.
In Kentucky, the UFCW launched a video comparing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to milk that has spoiled. “Mitch McConnell’s been in D.C. since 1984. He’s out of date and out of touch with Kentucky,” the narrator says. They also released a video which calls Mitch McConnell’s 30 years in Washington “long enough.” Watch the ads here and here.
In Michigan, the UFCW launched a video highlighting Governor Rick Snyder’s extreme record. Listing his tax increase on seniors and massive education cuts as examples, the narrator calls Snyder “One Clueless Nerd.” Watch the ad here.
In Wisconsin, the UFCW launched a video criticizing Governor Scott Walker for his failed promise on jobs. “Despite promising 250,000 new jobs, he put Wisconsin dead last in job creation,” the narrator says. Watch the ad here.
UFCW members—some of the youngest in the country—are inspired by online political outreach featuring ads that are cutting edge, creative, and fun.
The UFCW is also sending direct mail into these four states along with putting a large number of members and staff on the ground. The contrast in Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, and Wisconsin could not be greater. The UFCW is committed to defeating the enemies of working families and electing candidates that will fight for higher wages, better benefits, and the right to organize.
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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/UFCWinternationaland www.twitter.com/ufcw.
August 28, 2014
UFCW Statement on Market Basket Sale
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Joe Hansen, International President of the UFCW, Richard Charette, UFCW International Vice President and President of UFCW Local 1445, and Dave Fleming, President of UFCW Local 328, today released the following joint statement in response to the sale of Market Basket.
“Market Basket workers have secured the return of their preferred corporate leader by standing together in unprecedented collective actions. These workers showed that the real value of any company is not held in stocks, but in the dedication and hard work of its workforce.
“Market Basket workers and their families have made tremendous sacrifices, and proved that when they stand together, they have the power to move mountains.
“The members of our union have stood in solidarity with Market Basket workers, from rallies to raising a solidarity fund to help laid-off workers. As Market Basket workers negotiate the terms of their return to work, we will continue to offer our solidarity and our support.”
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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.
August 22, 2014
UFCW President Hansen Statement on the Mother of Michael Brown
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement regarding UFCW member Lesley McSpadden whose son Michael Brown was shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri.
“At the UFCW, we are a family. When tragedy strikes one of us, it is felt by all of us.
Our sister Lesley McSpadden, a member of UFCW Local 88, is dealing with the loss of her son Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
We have watched the unfolding events in Ferguson—from Michael Brown’s death to the police response that has targeted peaceful protestors and journalists for exercising their first amendment rights. This entire episode highlights systemic problems that still plague our nation—abject poverty, the lack of good jobs, an absence of racial diversity in the halls of power.
We need to address these challenges head on—and labor has a role to play by offering workers the opportunity for a better life. In the meantime, we stand in solidarity with our sister Lesley McSpadden and join her calls for a fair investigation and justice under the law.”
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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.
July 31, 2014
UFCW President Hansen Statement on Final USDA Poultry Modernization Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement after the USDA published a final poultry modernization rule.
July 31, 2014
UFCW President Hansen Statement on Executive Order Creating a Pro-Worker Procurement Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joe Hansen, International President of the UFCW, today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s executive order designed to ensure that the United States only does business with companies that respect workers’ rights.
“The President’s executive order makes clear that the U.S. will not do business with companies that violate our nation’s labor laws. Employers who cheat workers out of wages, fail to provide safe workplaces, and illegally retaliate against those who try to organize a union should never be considered for a government contract. On the other hand, companies that uphold our laws and treat their workers with dignity and respect should be given preference when it comes to federal procurement.
“Today’s announcement builds on years of work by UFCW members and our partner unions to create a system that is fairer for workers and encourages a race to the top when it comes to labor standards. These efforts included a 2013 resolution passed unanimously by delegates to the UFCW convention calling on the creation of a ‘High Road’ procurement process.
“In the last several years, the meat and poultry industries have received over 1 billion dollars from taxpayers. Many workers in these industries work full-time yet are not paid enough to support themselves or their families. They also must endure dangerous workplace conditions and chronic underreporting of injuries by their employers. This executive order sends a message that companies who engage in this type of anti-worker activity must change the way they do business or lose access to their government contracts.
“I want to thank President Obama, Secretary of Labor Perez, and all those involved in crafting this executive order. Today’s announcement is an important first step in ensuring our government is doing everything in its power to protect America’s workers.”
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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.
July 30, 2014
UFCW President Hansen Statement in Support of Making Union Organizing a Civil Right
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement regarding the Employee Empowerment Act.
“Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to organized labor as the ‘principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.’ He believed, as we do, that union rights are civil rights. For decades, these rights have been under attack by those who want to deny workers a voice on the job. Workers are routinely fired or otherwise retaliated against for standing up and speaking out. This is against the law. But too many employers would rather pay fines under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) than allow for a process that lets workers choose a union freely and fairly. To them, these minimal penalties are not a deterrent, but the cost of doing business.
“The Employee Empowerment Act would amend the NLRA to give victims of labor discrimination the same protections available under the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Currently, back pay is the only remedy available to these workers. Passage of this legislation would give victims the right to sue for compensatory and punitive damages in federal court, ensuring employers are held appropriately accountable for illegal retaliation and truly discouraging anti-union activity.
“The rise in labor discrimination hurts all Americans, but especially workers of color. Unionized African-American workers make 36 percent more than their non-union counterparts. For Latino workers, the union advantage is even greater. I urge Congress to swiftly pass this legislation which is good for workers, our economy, and builds on the successes of the Civil Rights Act.”
July 21, 2014
UFCW Grand Island JBS Beef Plant Members Ratify New Five-Year Contract
Grand Island, Nebraska – Workers at the JBS beef slaughter and processing facility in Grand Island, Nebraska, who belong to United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 293 ratified a new contract on Thursday, July 17. The new five-year agreement will cover more than 2,600 workers and will go into effect today.
“This new contract is great for our members and the local economy,” said Dan Hoppes, President of UFCW Local 293. “Thanks to support and unity of UFCW union members from across the country, we were able to negotiate a contract that raises the bar for workers in this industry. Workers will earn higher wages and a healthcare plan that benefits workers, their families, and the company.”
The new contract will:
- Provide a $1.80 hourly increase over the course of the contract.
- A $0.60 per hour increase in the first year which will be paid retroactively to the original contract expiration date, April 27, 2014.
- Maintain affordable health care costs for employees with only minor plan changes.
- Establish a primary health care clinic in Grand Island which means flexible, easily accessible health care to JBS employees with no cost for primary care (checkups, some treatments, minor procedures, and lab work) and low cost prescriptions and immunizations.
- Retain current vacation and 401k plan.
The UFCW represents JBS workers at several other locations around the country. Workers have ratified contracts in Worthington, Minnesota, and have reached a tentative agreement in Greeley, Colorado. Contract negotiations are ongoing in Souderton, Pennsylvania, and Louisville, Kentucky. Workers in Omaha, Nebraska will begin negotiations in the coming months.
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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.