Washington, DC – The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union represents more than 250,000 men and women who work in the food processing and packing industries. Thousands of these jobs are linked to food exports.The following is the statement of UFCW International President Joseph T. Hansen:President Obamas remarks yesterday on trade show that this Administrations focus is where it should beon generating new jobs. Putting some meat on his state of the union pledge to generate two million export-related jobs, the President also addressed the overvalued Chinese currency which is the worlds greatest trade distortion. By some estimates Chinas manipulation of its currency is costing the United States some 1.4 million jobs and significantly harming other national economies as well. We look forward to the Administrations continued engagement on this crucial issue.
March, 2010
UFCW Statement on DoJ/USDA Inquiry into Agribusiness Consolidation
Ankeny, IA – The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union represents more than 250,000 men and women who work in the food processing and packing industries, each of whom has a stake in industry consolidation as both a worker and a consumer.
UFCW members and senior officials will be available for comment on Thursday and Friday, before and after the public meetings and workshops. The following is the statement of Mark Lauritsen, International Vice President and Director of the Food Processing, Packing, and Manufacturing Division of the UFCW.
“When done properly, consolidation can stabilize the marketplace, make food cheaper, and raise standards across the industry. But when workers and communities aren’t part of the equation, it’s families and local economies that suffer.
“The diverse group of voices brought to the table by the Obama administration can speak not only to how agribusiness is consolidating, but also why. Big box retailers like Walmart are making record profits on the backs of small businesses by asking suppliers to make more with less. When family farmers and packers can’t meet those unrealistic demands, they’re forced to consolidate.
“We’re long overdue for a system that considers the long-term economic implications of downward pressure from retailers and the consolidation that it causes.”
UFCW Members Celebrate New Contract with Stop & Shop
(BOSTON, MA) – On March 7, thousands of Stop & Shop supermarket workers from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut ratified new contracts with Ahold, the Dutch-owned parent company. Highlights of the agreements between the members of the United Food and Commercial Workers and Stop & Shop include:
- Immediate bonus pay and hourly raises over the three-year contract;
- increased access to affordable health benefits for part-time workers; and
- strengthening of retirement security for all workers.
Ratification of the contracts stands to benefit Stop & Shop, the workers that have made the company a market-leading success, and communities around New England. When UFCW members unanimously authorized a strike in the event an agreement could not be reached, communities around the region spoke out to keep middle-class jobs in their neighborhoods. While negotiations of this size and complexity are rarely quick or easy, the resulting agreements have secured the future of thousands of New England families as well as the region’s leading grocer.
Stop & Shop workers are represented by UFCW Locals 328, 371, 919, 1459, and 1445.