October, 2003

Collective Bargaining, Economic Justice, Health Care, Press Releases, Retail Food, Southern California Bargaining, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

Corporate Greed vs. Human Need

Oct 16, 2003

 

Over the past several days, Southern California supermarket workers have been voting on a contract offer from three of the largest supermarket operators in the country.

They have been confronted with a stark choice: give up health care benefits for not only themselves and their families, but also, for future generations of supermarket workers.

In unprecedented numbers, Southern California supermarket workers turned out to vote and sent a clear message: we will fight for affordable health care.

They delivered a mandate to their union that they will strike, if needed, to save health care for their families and strike to save health care coverage for the next generation of workers.

These workers are heroes. They are willing to make the sacrifice to take up the fight to save health care.

This is a fight for all Southern California workers.  It is a fight for all supermarket workers—union and non-union—here and across the country because if these three supersize, super-profitable, supermarket chains can cut benefits here, then every worker is at risk.

The UFCW is announcing that on October 11, workers will strike one of the supermarket chains. We will limit our job action to a single chain, so we will limit the inconvenience to our customers.

We are asking the employers to also respect our customers and not to take retaliatory action against workers through a lock out. There should be no lock out.

After all, the customers are the ones that we depend on for our jobs and the companies for their profits.

Following today’s meeting with the companies and the federal mediator, we will announce the time and the target of the strike.

We will make an effort to avoid a strike but, workers will not give up on health care.  We are not asking for more, we are asking to keep the benefits that we have.

There is information on this website about company profits and health care costs.

Employers’ profits have risen 10 times faster than their hourly contribution to worker health care.

Their profits overall have gone up 91% since 1998.

We have contained health cares cost. The increased costs for health care for these employers have been significantly below the national average.

This is a battle between corporate greed and human need and, we are asking our communities to stand with us.   We are your friends and your neighbors. We serve you everyday in your local supermarket. We ask for your support.

If the supermarket giants win, Southern California loses.  These companies would drain over 328 million dollars a year from Southern California because when they cut health care for workers, they rip off California.

Collective Bargaining, Economic Justice, Health Care, Kroger, Press Releases, Retail Food, Safeway, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

Kroger Employees Take Stand for Fairness

Oct 15, 2003

CHARLESTON, W. VA. – Poised to walk off the job at 10 o’clock this evening, 3,300 Kroger workers in West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky vowed to stay out until the company agrees to provide decent health care benefits.

“This is not an issue of a company struggling to survive in a poor economy,” UFCW Local 400 President Jim Lowthers said. “This is an issue of corporate greed surging ahead at the expense of hard-working employees.”

Kroger earned $2.5 billion dollars over the past several years and has $562 million in profits so far this year. Yet it is underfunding employee benefit plans, refusing to provide adequate health care. This basic unfairness is why members of Local 400 voted to strike after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations, Lowthers said.

“Kroger’s policy apparently is ‘Billions for Profits, No Benefits for People,’” he said. “This policy hurts every community in the tri-state area, not just Kroger employees. If Kroger gets away with this, other employers will try it. We’re standing up for working families and demanding justice.”

Workers are confronting Kroger and other employee-pinching grocery chains nationwide. In California, 70,000 workers have walked off the job at Kroger’s Ralph’s stores, Safeway’s Vons stores and Albertsons, citing unacceptable health care packages. Another 10,000 Shop ‘N Save, Schnucks and Dierbergs workers in St. Louis are striking over pay and health care issues.

“Our members are trying to take care of their families,” Lowthers said. “Kroger is telling its employees that it will not provide the benefits to do that.”

Kroger stores affected include stores throughout West Virginia, Ashland, Kentucky, and Marietta, Ohio.

Click here to view a copy of a UFCW newspaper ad.

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Additional press contact: Nelson Graham, 304-346-9679

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 represents more than 40,000 workers in West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee and the District of Columbia. The members work in industries ranging from meat processing plants and retail and grocery stores to nursing homes.

 

Economic Justice, Health Care, Packing and Processing, Press Releases, Retail, Retail Food, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

Gephardt Health Care Stance Wins Support From

Oct 15, 2003

OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCTOBER 11, 2003

Gephardt Health Care Stance Wins Support From

Nation’s Largest Private Sector Union

 

 

Davenport, Iowa—Today, the nation’s largest private sector union, and the largest union in Iowa, put the support of its 1.4 million members behind Dick Gephardt for President.  The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union endorsed the Gephardt campaign based on his plan to protect the employer-based health care system in the U.S.

The UFCW is at the forefront of the fight to protect health care at work for millions of working families.  This weekend, UFCW is leading more than 70,000 supermarket employees on strike in Southern California to fight back against employer demands to destroy health benefits for workers and their families.  In the meatpacking industry, UFCW members have been on strike since February 28, 2003, at Tyson Foods in Jefferson, Wisconsin, to stop Tyson from slashing health care for the 470 workers.  In St. Louis, Missouri, 10,000 retail food workers are on the picket line fighting back against a similar employer demand that would threaten workers’ medical benefits.

“Most Americans get health care at work, and we want to keep it that way  because the UFCW believes if you do the work, you’ve earned affordable health care,” said UFCW International Secretary-Treasurer Joe Hansen.

“If you have medical benefits at work, the Gephardt plan will make sure you keep them and that they stay affordable,” continued Hansen.  “If you work, but don’t get benefits, the Gephardt plan will make sure you do.”

The endorsement was based on UFCW members’ views on working family issues in the context of the 2004 presidential election.

Research, conducted by the Wilson Center for Public Research, shows that UFCW members feel the government should take action to deal with:

·         Rapidly rising health care costs (94%)

·         44 million Americans without health insurance (91%)

·         Employer demands for cuts in medical benefits (87%)

 

In addition, 97% of those polled felt that a candidate’s position on protecting health care at work was important—75% said it was crucial—to making a decision about their choice for President in 2004.

These  perceptions reflect the views of the cashier moms, a key demographic in next year’s election.  UFCW membership mirrors the general workforce population in every category—gender, race, age, and marital status, making UFCW member views a snapshot of those held by millions of working people around the country.

 

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The UFCW represents 1.4 million workers in the supermarket, meatpacking, poultry, food processing, health care, chemical, textile and garment, distillery, and other industries.