May 27, 2015

UFCW President Perrone: TPP Battle is Far From Over

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement after the Senate passed fast track legislation.

“Rest assured, the battle over TPP is far from over. President Obama and the supporters of fast track and the TPP want us to believe that this deal is worthy of our nation; it is not. Every hard-working family in this country deserves better than a corporate trade agreement put together in complete secrecy.

“If our elected leaders and the White House truly believe that the TPP is the right thing to do, however, they should respect the American people enough to make the full agreement public today. No more secrecy or backroom deals. UFCW members and all Americans deserve the truth. If the White House refuses to make TPP public, we must all demand it.

“It is no surprise that the American people have lost so much trust in our elected officials. Instead of promoting economic policies that are fair and just, they choose to pursue a trade agreement put together in secret, where even those voting for it, have little idea what’s in it or the impact it will have.

“America’s hard-working families deserve the truth. They deserve a totally transparent process. Let there be no mistake, the American people will hold any Member of Congress accountable who refuses to support their right to know, and every Member of Congress should do what is right and hold the White House accountable for refusing to tell all of us the truth about what’s in the TPP.

“The UFCW will work nonstop to defeat fast track in the House.”

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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 deserves.

www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational    @UFCW

May 8, 2015

Celebrating UFCW Moms: UFCW/ICWUC Local 995C Member Thankful Union Has Her Back When It Comes To Spending Time With Her Kids

So many UFCW moms have been eager to share their stories with us this week! Here’s one from Local 995C Member Wilma:

My name is Wilma Morales and I work at SoCalGas as a Customer Service Representative and I’m a member of UFCW/ICWUC Local 995C. I’m a proud mother of two young kids, and I know how hard it can be to balance the demands of motherhood and a career. I’ve been at SoCalGas for about ten years now.

When I was going to have my babies, I got nothing but confusing and unhelpful answers from my work about the leave that I could take. My union helped me through the process and made sure I got every day possible to spend with my new babies – which is so important. With some leave guaranteed by law and some by my contract – it can get complicated, so I was glad I didn’t have to go it alone.

So this Mother’s Day, I’m grateful for my union helping me be the mother I want to be – the kind who spends as much time as possible with her children.

May 6, 2015

Celebrating UFCW Moms: Local 1189 Rep and Single Mother Tamara Jones on The Importance of the Labor Movement and Why She Loves Being Union

Tamara Jones has been a proud UFCW member for 14 years, and has been on staff since 2007.  She worked in activities at Viewcrest Health Center, in Duluth, Minnesota where she was a union steward and then became a member of the UFCW Local 1116 Executive Board prior to becoming a Union Representative.  She is also the Region 6 Coordinator for the UFCW OUTReach , a member of the UFCW Women’s Network, leader of the Northern Division Community Services Committee, board member of the 7th Senate District DFL Board, Fightin’ 15 Precinct Chair, President of the Carlton County Central Labor Body, member of the AFL-CIO/United Way Community Services committee, serves as a member of the Northeast Area Labor Council Executive Board, serves as a member of the Duluth Central Labor Body Executive Board, serves on the United Way Executive Board, is immediate past-President of the International Labour Council, and is a master Trustee with the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.

This is her story:

One of my favorite mothers, Mother Jones (sadly, no relation) said that we should mourn for the dead and fight like hell for the living.

Growing up, I remember learning about the labor movement in my history classes. I learned about the railroad strikes, the Chicago Teamsters’ strike, the Pullman strike – and what I remember the most is that people died to make what we take for granted now possible.

It’s a sobering thought, but even today, all over the world, the labor struggle is real. It is violent. And people die. It’s why you should call your Senators and your Representatives and tell them to oppose fast-tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The countries involved, namely Brunei and Malaysia, have horrific records of human rights abuses, and if we condone entering into trade with these countries, we are no better than they are.

It’s a grim reality.

However, there are glimmers of hope. Our union, UFCW, has been a strong advocate for workers around the globe. Through our partnership and support of UNI Global Union, they have successfully negotiated Colombia’s first ever collective agreement in the retail sector at Carrefour Colombia. It has a woman as president and it is thousands strong. UNI Global Union has over 52 agreements signed with multinational corporations across the globe, aimed at improving working conditions, better wages, and ensuring that corporations act responsibly with regards to their workers.

Here at home, UFCW has been blazing trails with its newly-formed constituency group, UFCW OUTReach. UFCW OUTReach is dedicated to building mutual support between our union’s International, regions, and locals and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community and their allies in order to come together to organize for social and economic justice for all, regardless of age, race, gender, creed, color, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

I’m proud to sit on the UFCW OUTReach executive board. Since our formation, we have worked to advocate inclusion of transgender health care benefits in our insurance plans. We have worked to educate our locals about the specific issues transgender individuals face when encountering immigration, and have advocated for immigration reform, especially ensuring that our LGBTQ brothers and sisters aren’t sent back into situations where they may be persecuted to death. We have educated many locals about the issues that are important to us as workers and as LGBTQ people, and encouraged them to educate their members as well as their legislators so we can avoid discriminatory legislation. We have partnered with excellent organizations to make sure that we are at the forefront of LGBTQ workers’ rights and are constantly advocating and empowering our rank-and-file members in their workplace to take a stand against discrimination.

The things listed above are things that I’m so proud of our union being involved in, I could burst.

However, what I’m most proud of in our labor movement has a more personal side. I am a single mom of four kids, two girls, aged 9 and 2 ½, and two boys, aged 7 and 5. My seven year-old has sensory processing disorder and ADHD. It has been a long journey to get him to where he is today.

Through my contractually-provided health insurance, he has access to the therapies and medications he needs to be successful in the world.  Through the contractually-obligated medical leave I have, I was able to not worry about being off and meeting my bills when I nearly died when my 2 ½ year-old was born.

Through the support of my brothers and sisters in the union, who have helped me countless times with transporting my children here or there or watching them while I advocate for them at the capitol, or have to take another child to an appointment, or handle a grievance, my children have learned and seen what the union is really about: taking care of each other. Not just in the workplace, but in our daily lives.

They’ve marched on the picket lines, they’ve been to rallies, and they’ve helped with food drives. To them, union isn’t a dirty word or joke. To them, it means family.

I probably overuse this quote from Paul Wellstone, but it really encapsulates everything that is good about the labor movement: “We all do better when we all do better.”

Being part of the labor movement is the only way to ensure that my children will be able to do better, no matter what they choose to do in life. Be it a spy nurse (7 year-old), a construction engineer (5 year-old), a fashion designer-teacher (9 year-old), or the world’s most stubborn person (2 ½ year old), the union has paved their way and will continue to pave their way.

Tamara’s daughter Hazel

The whole gang: (From Top to Bottom) Walter, Leo, Marjorie, and Hazel

Tamara’s son Walter,

May 5, 2015

Celebrating UFCW Moms: Single Mom Sought Education and Career for Better Life, Gives Back to Union and Community

At age 25, Amy was a single parent raising two children with no job, no car, no education and no place to live. She knew the only way to give her children the life they deserved would be through hard work and determination – and when Amy walked across the stage to receive her GED, her two children, Chassity and Joey, sat in the front row cheering her on.

Amy’s determination to give her kids a better life led her to her get a job at Kroger where she found that having a union contract could give her the stability she and her family needed. She saw right away that there was a place for her to take a leadership role in her union. She became a steward because she saw that her co-workers needed a strong voice on the job. 

Over the course of the last decade, Amy has helped to negotiate her union contract three times, serving as part of the team that meets with Kroger management and bargains the wages, benefits, and working conditions for more than 12,000 UFCW Local 227 members across Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Now, in her capacity as the Chief Steward at her store, Amy helps ensure that Kroger implements the union contract correctly, and makes certain that her co-workers understand and take advantage of the full range of benefits they’re guaranteed. 

Amy’s hard work and commitment to improving her family’s life and her workplace has spilled over into the community. She served as the PTA President at Tates Creek Elementary for three years, and in 2014 ran for City Council – losing narrowly in a primary.

Determined, committed UFCW moms like Amy continue to inspire us and are an important part of our union family! Stay tuned as we celebrate more moms across the UFCW in our lead up to Mother’s Day.

Amy, shown here with former President Clinton while she was representing UFCW Local 227 at a rally

April 30, 2015

UFCW President Perrone: Walmart Endorsement Latest Sign Fast Track/TPP Would Be a Disaster for Hard-Working Men and Women

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement in response to an op-ed by Walmart Asia CEO Scott Price endorsing fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

“Walmart’s endorsement of fast track and the TPP is the latest sign that this agreement would be a disaster for hard-working men and women. For decades, Walmart’s profit at any cost policy has plunged us into a low-wage economy where too many working families are struggling to make ends meet. Fast tracking the TPP would allow the company to pursue low wages, poor standards, and cheap labor on an even larger scale.

So we understand why Walmart—which has systematically violated workers’ rights and lowered wages and standards—would favor another unfair trade agreement. But we remain puzzled why President Obama and other elected leaders who talk openly about their support for hard-working men and women would do the same.”

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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 deserves.

www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational    @UFCW

April 28, 2015

Remembering Fallen Workers on Workers Memorial Day

Every year on April 28—Workers Memorial Day—the UFCW joins workers in the U.S. and around the world to remember and pay tribute to the thousands of workers who have been killed on the job and the millions of workers who have suffered from injuries, sickness or diseases in their places of work.

While the efforts of union members and their families have resulted in significant workplace safety laws, including the passage of the mine safety law and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, too many workers are still suffering or dying on the job.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, over 4,000 workers lost their lives on the job in the U.S. in 2013 alone. And according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 50,000 workers die from illnesses caused by exposure to chemicals and other workplace hazards and millions more will suffer non-fatal workplace injuries each year.

Although the Obama Administration has taken action to strengthen safety and health protections, including proposing new safeguards on silica and other workplace hazards, Republican lawmakers and their corporate backers are trying to stop these protections and shut down all future regulations. Republican lawmakers are also supporting right-to-work laws, which make it harder for unions to bargain for workplace safety protections, along with decent wages and benefits.  In addition to political obstacles, our country’s growing wealth gap and low-wage, part-time economy has emboldened many employers to cut corners, violate workplace safety laws, and punish those workers who report job hazards or injuries.

On Workers Memorial Day and every day, the UFCW stands with workers who are fighting to uphold their basic rights – including safe jobs, workplace fairness and collective bargaining. Working people deserve a safe place to work, and those politicians and corporations that weaken work safety laws and exploit workers for profit and put them in danger must be held accountable.

Workers Memorial Day Resources:

Workers Memorial Day Handbill

AFL-CIO Death on the Job Report

Marc Perrone Op-Ed on Workers Memorial Day

UFCW Statement on Workers Memorial Day

April 9, 2015

Union Plus Benefits for UFCW Members

We all know that there are countless benefits to being a union member and the difference having a union voice makes.  And there’s another benefit for union workers: the UFCW Credit Card.

The UFCW is endorsing this credit card program because it has been specially designed to meet the needs of hard-working UFCW members and their families. With this card, members can enjoy exclusive savings and rebates on useful products and services.

The UFCW Credit Card program offers many options for UFCW members and their families. Cardholders will have access to special benefit offers just for union members*, such as:

• Rebates on auto down payments
• Cash back when they purchase AT&T smartphones
• Exclusive motor club benefits with 24-hour roadside assistance
• Special grants to help pay off student debt
• Discounts on computers and other tech products

Show your union pride while saving as you shop!

*Terms apply. Please visit UFCWCard.com.
The UFCW Credit Card is issued by Capital One N.A. pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated.