Manuel Salazar took a week off his job at a meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., packed his bags, and departed to Minneapolis. He had a clear objective in his mind: to be part of history and bring change to working families by volunteering to get out the union vote for Obama.
“I knew Barack Obama was the right person for the job,” said Salazar, who has been a Local 304A member for over nine years. “My local helped me to get time off from my job to go to Minneapolis and get out the vote for Barack Obama.”
Thousands of UFCWmembers across the nation volunteered to get out the vote for Barack Obama because they knew what was at stake in this election.
“There were many of us in Minneapolis. We helped with everything we could,” said Salazar. “I went canvassing and made phone calls to fellow UFCW members.”
The efforts made by volunteers like Salazar were not in vain. Millions of working families in America woke up on November 5 to see a dream fulfilled and the prospect of a better future.
After eight years of failed policies from an administration that supported corporations and left middle class families behind, finally the time has come to fight back for better wages, quality and affordable health care, and securing better benefits.

But electing Barack Obama is just the first step to strengthen the middle class, said Dan Nichols, a steward from Local 304A.
“As stewards we have to encourage workers to keep fighting for policies that would raise their standards of living,” said Nichols. “Working families need to unite and contact legislators in Congress and push for the issues that matter most to workers.”

Nichols said that workers should stand together behind the Employee Free Choice Act, to make sure the next Congress approves this important legislation that would restore the American Dream.
“This bill, if it’s approved by Congress, will help a lot of working families and will be great for the middle class,” Nichols said. “I’ve spoken to a lot of people who would like to join a union, but are afraid of their supervisors.”

The Employee Free Choice Act will put more workers on the union side of the bargaining table, which will ultimately expand and strengthen the middle
class by protecting jobs, raising wages, and improving benefits.
As a steward, Nichols has actively encouraged his coworkers to sign a pledge card in support of the Employee Free Choice Act.

Thanks to hard work and efforts of stewards like Nichols, more than 250,000 UFCW members have signed the petition urging elected leaders to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. There is still more to be done to get this important piece of legislation passed.
All stewards can mobilize members around the Employee Free Choice Act by telling them to call, write or e-mail their elected representatives and urging them to strengthen the middle class by passing this bill.

Manuel Salazar believes that workers should hold Congressional leaders accountable to reform health care and to pass the Employee Free Choice Act.
“All workers have to continue fighting for what is best for their families. Workers all around the nation need to mobilize to get the Employee Free Choice Act passed and to reform health care,” Salazar said.