March, 2013

Corporate Responsibility, Retail Food, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values, Workplace Safety & Health

IUF Workers Being Abused at Mondelez International

Mar 26, 2013

The International Union of Foodworkers, or IUF, represents hard-working people in the food industry around the world.  As one of the UFCW’s close allies in the fight for good jobs, the IUF needs our help.

Many IUF union workers are employed by Mondelez International, a leading chocolatier, biscuit and candy maker, and gum manufacturer. Their brands include Cadbury, Milka, Oreo, Nabisco, Tang, and Trident, just to name a few.  Despite being the world’s leading manufacturer for these products, Mondelez international has repeatedly shown that they do not care for the hard workers that make them successful.

Ahmad Abdulghani Awad Abdulghani, 26 years old, worked at Cadbury Egypt, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mondelez, from 2008 to December 2011. He never had a permanent job, but was part of the army of precarious workers making chewing gum at the Alexandria factory. He lost half his thumb while operating a machine which should normally be run by three persons. Then he lost his job.

This is the same factory management that sacked 5 union leaders in June 2012 following a spontaneous protest over the company’s refusal to pay a government-mandated private-sector pay rise.

This is the same company whose management in Tunisia has dismissed and suspended union leaders and denies responsibility for these abuses.
This is the company whose corporate management refuses to respond to communications to the IUF, the international union that represents these workers.

The IUF has therefore filed a formal complaint for violations of international human rights standards with the relevant US government agency – and has launched a GLOBAL CAMPAIGN in defense of its members at Mondelez in Egypt and Tunisia.

To learn about the campaign go to http://www.screamdelez.org – there you can learn more and download campaign materials for distribution to union members at Mondelez.

Click here to send a message to Mondelez – tell them to make time to rectify human rights abuses and to meet with the IUF NOW!

Also, please be sure to like the campaign facebook page.

Economic Justice, Health Care, Legislation, Politics, Press Releases, Retail, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

Stakeholders Address Economic Struggles of Part-Time Workers in Hearing with Rep. Jan Schakowsky

Mar 26, 2013

The National Retail Justice Alliance, in partnership with Citizen Action/Illinois, Women Employed, UFCW and Jobs With Justice, hosted a hearing today in Chicago with Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) to highlight the economic plight of part-time workers in retail and other service industries.  The hearing also underscored the need for Rep. Schakowsky’s legislation—the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act of 2013 (H.R. 675)—which would extend protections to part-time workers in the areas of employer-provided health insurance, family and medical leave, and pension plans.

Sponsored by Schakowsky and Representative George Miller (D-Calif.), the Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights builds upon the progress of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and ensures that part-time workers (defined as working less than 30 hours a week) and their families have access to critical workplace benefits.  The ACA penalizes employers who fail to provide health insurance to full-time workers, but includes no such penalties for employers who deny health coverage to part-time workers.

“As our nation’s economy relies more and more on part-time, low-wage work, policies are needed to address the widening gap of those working without a safety net for retirement, healthcare, and family leave,” said Bill Fletcher, chair of the National Retail Justice Alliance and director of field service and education at the American Federation of Government Employees. “The Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights would ensure that employers provide for critical benefits for part-timers and protect the health and well-being of millions of part-time workers in retail and other service industries.”

In addition to Schakowsky and Fletcher, state legislators, economic experts and part-time workers also spoke at the hearing which took place at the Spertus Institute.

 

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The National Retail Justice Alliance is dedicated to raising the living and working standards of retail workers in the United States.  By working in collaboration with a broad base of opinion leaders, organizations and communities, the National Retail Justice Alliance builds support for workers in the retail industry through advocacy, education and research to promote sustainable jobs, living wages, affordable health care and fair public policies.  For more information, visit www.retailjusticealliance.org.

Uncategorized

Have a Union-Made Passover

Mar 25, 2013

source: timeanddate.com

Tomorrow is the first day of Passover- what better way to celebrate your Passover seders than with union-made foods and ingredients?  Check out the list of products below, all made by UFCW members, as well as our brothers and sisters at UFW, IAM, and IBT,  brought to you by Labor 411 and the AFL-CIO:

Matzo Products, Crackers and Farfel
Manischewitz (UFCW)

Meats
Empire Kosher (UFCW)

Wine and Grape Juice
Arbor Mist (UFCW)
C.K. Mondavi (UFW, UFCW)
Chateau Ste. Michelle (UFW, IBT)
Gallo of Sonoma (UFW)
Turning Leaf (UFCW)
Minute Maid Grape Juice (UFCW)
Welch’s Grape Juice (UFCW)

Bonus:
Here’s an Empire Kosher’s recipe for glazed and spiced matzo stuffed chicken breasts. For this recipe, there are plenty of union-made ingredients to incorporate:

6 tablespoons Empire Kosher Rendered Chicken Fat, divided
4 cups Passover Matzo Farfel (Manischewitz)
Salt and pepper (Morton Salt [UFCW, IAM] and Durkee Pepper [UFCW])
6 Empire Kosher Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (Durkee [UFCW])
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Durkee [UFCW])
¾ cup white wine (see union-made options here).

 

Be sure to check out Labor 411 for all things union-made!