2010

Economic Justice, Packing and Processing, Press Releases, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

WHITE HOUSE APPOINTS UFCW PRESIDENT JOE HANSEN TO ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR TRADE POLICY

Sep 16, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC-Joe Hansen, President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) has been appointed to the United States Trade Representatives Advisory Committee for Trade Policy.

The UFCW represents workers in the meatpacking, food processing, poultry, food distribution and retail food sectors of our economy. As the economies of developing countries grow, demand for food products made in the US-particularly meat-is increasing. Hansen is committed to ensuring that American farmers, workers, and responsible businesses and manufacturers are not locked out of these emerging growth markets. Hansens experience in the global union movement, and his role negotiating contracts with multi-national meatpacking, food processing, and grocery companies gives him a unique perspective and the capability to ensure the voice of working people is heard in trade agreements that affect their livelihoods.

I am so honored to accept this appointment. Food and meat industry representatives have long served on this Advisory Committee; I want to express my appreciation to President Obama and Ambassador Ron Kirk for nominating me as representative of workers in these industries. I look forward to working with Ambassador Kirk on trade policies that create more jobs in the U.S. by increasing our food and meat exports; and on improving working, living, and environmental standards for workers and their families both here and abroad-standards that will also benefit consumers, businesses, farmers and manufacturers, Hansen said.

Organizing, Packing and Processing, Press Releases, UFCW Industries

MOTT’S

Sep 14, 2010

Washington, DC—United Food and Commercial Workers Local Union (UFCW) 220* ratified a new contract, yesterday, ending a three-and-a-half-month strike at the Dr Pepper Snapple Group owned Mott’s Plant in Williamson, New York. The new agreement restores wage levels, maintains affordable health care, and continues the pension plan.

The strike became a national symbol for working people struggling to maintain middle class jobs and strong communities, after Dr Pepper Snapple Group imposed a $1.50 per hour wage decrease and other cuts on the workers. UFCW members, along with community and other allies, engaged in nearly 600 actions, including handbilling shoppers at grocery stores across the country in support of Local 220* members. Driven by blogs and social networks, tens of thousands of people joined the cause of the Mott’s strikers, advocating for good jobs with paychecks that pay the bills.  

Local 220* members will be back on the job September 20, eager once again to make applesauce and other great products for American families.

Packing and Processing, UFCW Industries

USDA: ‘Donning and doffing’ should be part of workday for inspection program personnel

Aug 11, 2010

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (F.S.I.S.) announced a proposed rule that would amend current regulations governing the schedule of operations at federally inspected meat and poultry slaughter establishments. F.S.I.S. is proposing to redefine the eight-hour workday for inspection program personnel to include time needed at the workplace to put on, or “don,” and take off, or “doff,” required gear, time spent walking to work stations after donning required gear, and time spent walking from work stations before doffing required gear.

Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and the Egg Products Inspection Act, F.S.I.S. provides mandatory federal inspection of meat and meat food products, poultry products, and processed egg products. F.S.I.S. bears the cost of mandatory inspection provided during non-overtime and non-holiday hours of operation, while the establishments pay for inspection services performed on holidays or on an overtime basis. The regulations define the basic workweek as five consecutive eight-hour days, excluding the lunch period. F.S.I.S. proposes that the eight hours of inspection service provided by the Agency include sufficient time for inspection program personnel to put on required gear and walk to a work station as well as to return from a workstation and remove required gear. Any time over those eight hours is overtime charged to an establishment.

The Agency seeks comments on or before Sept. 8, 2010, through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov, identifying F.S.I.S. and the docket number FSIS-2010-0014.

This article originally appeared on MeatPoultry.com on August 9.