WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk have named two key officials from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) to important trade advisory committees. Mark Lauritsen, International Vice President and Director of the Food Processing, Packing and Manufacturing Division, has been named to the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC). Arne Anderson, Director of the Strategic Resources Department, has been named to the USTR’s Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade (ATAC). Both committees will advise Vilsack and Kirk on negotiating objectives and bargaining positions for future trade agreements. “We understand the important role trade can play in supporting jobs in the agricultural and food industries,” said UFCW International President Joe Hansen. “Mark and Arne’s appointments will help ensure the voice and concerns of workers are represented during these important negotiations.” ###
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The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) represents more than 1.3 million workers, primarily in the retail and meatpacking, food processing and poultry industries. The UFCW protects the rights of workers and strengthens America’s middle class by fighting for health care reform, living wages, retirement security, safe working conditions and the right to unionize so that working men and women and their families can realize the American Dream. For more information about the UFCW’s effort to protect workers’ rights and strengthen America’s middle class, visit www.ufcw.org, or join our online community at www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational and www.twitter.com/ufcw.
