September, 2011

In the News, Packing and Processing, UFCW Industries

UFCW Reaches Agreement to Ensure Cargill Workers Get Paid What They’ve Earned

Sep 08, 2011

Cargill has settled a multi-plant lawsuit and grievances covering all production workers at represented facilities across the country.

The settlement resolves years of efforts by the UFCW and Locals 2, 230, 293, 431 and 540 to ensure that UFCW members who work at Cargill are fully and fairly compensated for their work.

In the food processing and packing industry, workers are required to wear protective equipment and gear to ensure their safety and the safety of the food we eat. Many large employers, like Cargill, tried to avoid paying workers for the time it takes for them to put on and take off that gear. That time, called “donning and doffing,” has been the focus of UFCW efforts to ensure that meatpacking and poultry workers are paid for all their work.

UFCW locals have worked together to make sure that all workers in the industry get paid for donning and doffing, and now Cargill workers will see their long-overdue wages. All the locals involved will be working to ensure these Cargill workers receive the compensation they are owed. Additionally, a similar suit, covering tens of thousands of poultry workers who work for Tyson Foods, is also nearing a settlement. Keep checking this space to find out more soon!

Collective Bargaining

Members of Local 5 and 8GS Ratify New Contract with Rite Aid

Sep 08, 2011 (0) Comments

This past week, around 3,500 members of Locals 5 and 8GS ratified a new contract with their employer, Rite Aid by an overwhelming vote. The new contract includes across-the-board wage increases and a ratification bonus, as well as preserving the members’ pension and health care benefits. This three year contract was ratified by a mail-in ballot and is the result of the hard work by negotiating committees with members from both locals.

Barack Obama, Economic Justice, Politics, Press Releases, UFCW Values

Mr. President, It Is Time to Think Big

Sep 01, 2011

Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement issued by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union President Joseph Hansen:“Daniel Burnham, the preeminent Chicago architect who designed the Flatiron Building in New York City and Union Station in Washington, D.C., once said, ‘Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized.’ “This Labor Day, the national unemployment rate hovers around 9 percent, and more and more of the country’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few at the expense of working Americans. It is clear that we need to think big and create a bold jobs plan that will lift Americans out of poverty and rebuild the middle class. But as the country waits for President Obama’s jobs speech next week, too many in Congress are still creating a confusing conversation focused on cutting the deficit at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens—a tactic that will do nothing to create new jobs. “The wasted economic potential of the millions of Americans who are unemployed or underemployed is a national tragedy that must be addressed. But the tragedy goes deeper than statistics alone. In all this turmoil, many Americans have lost confidence in their government and believe they will never achieve the American dream of owning a home, sending their children to college or retiring comfortably. If the national conversation continues to be manipulated by those who put their own interests ahead of the poor and middle class, our country will never fully recover from this downward economic spiral. “It is time to announce a bold infrastructure rebuilding plan to fix our roads, bridges, schools, airports, railways and seaports. It is time to invest in a WPA-type jobs program to clean up and fix up abandoned and vacant properties to alleviate blight in distressed neighborhoods.“Investing in our country will pay big dividends today and in the future. Having our government prime the pump will create infrastructure jobs which, in turn, will have a wave effect across our entire economy and create jobs in all our economic sectors. These newly created jobs will also generate additional tax revenue. Most importantly, this new influx of jobs will restore the confidence of our citizens in our country and in our government. It is time to think big.”