April, 2013

Organizing, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values, Uncategorized, Workplace Safety & Health

Majority of Americans Now Support Legal Cannabis

Apr 05, 2013
Workers at the Thomaston Wellness Connection medical marijuana dispensary (from left to right), Daniel Kinch, Susan Gay, Amanda Kaler, and Edison the Service dog - Photo by Andy O’Brien

Workers at the Thomaston Wellness Connection medical marijuana dispensary (photo source: Andy O’Brien via The Daily Chronic)

Yesterday, history was made when a poll found that, for the first time ever, more than half of the US is in favor of legalizing marijuana.  The survey, done by Pew research center, found that 52% of Americans were for legalization, and 45% against, meaning support for legal pot has grown 11 percentage points in just three years.

Young Americans make up a majority of those who support legal marijuana. Most supporters believe that the costs of focusing law enforcement on marijuana outweigh its benefits, and may even be counterproductive.

In the wake of increasing public support and emerging state laws that allow medical cannabis dispensaries, the medical cannabis industry has grown drastically.  But as the industry grows and more workers are employed in medical cannabis facilities, workers realize that they need to stick together and address the concerns they face in the workplace.  That is why thousands of medical cannabis workers nationwide have decided to organize and join the UFCW. They work predominantly in dispensaries, coffee shops, bakeries, patient identification centers, hydroponics stores, and growing and training facilities.

The most recent workers to launch a unionization effort come from The Wellness Connection of Maine, which operates four dispensaries in the state. In addition to poor treatment by the dispensary operators, workers decided to form their union after several failed attempts to resolve issues surrounding the use of pesticides on the cannabis plants, a clear violation of state law  Despite an overwhelming majority of the workers having decided to join the UFCW, Wellness Connection of Maine has so far refused to honor their choice and recognize the workers’ union.

“We will continue to fight for our right to have our union so that we can help our employer work in accordance with state laws and provide the people we serve in the state of Maine with safe access to medical marijuana,” said worker Amanda Kaler.

UFCW members in the medical cannabis industry understand that in order to gain dignity and respect and ensure medical cannabis jobs are good jobs with benefits that can support a family, they must support each other and speak with one voice in the workplace. We are proud to be the union of medical marijuana workers, and together, we can achieve just that.

 

Corporate Responsibility, Economic Justice, Food Access, Health Care, Retail, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values, Walmart

Walmart Falling Flat with Not-so-Fresh Foods

Apr 04, 2013

source: thecomingcrisis.blogspot.com

Walmart has been touting claims about its fresh produce, healthy food options, and great products all around for a while now, but recently, customers have been finding that the selection of great food products available at Walmart is not up to par with all the company claims it to be.

A few examples that went viral this week help demonstrate the problem.  When someone posted photos of a box of doughnuts that had layers of expiration stickers on it, each with a different date, many others related and shared similar stories. This twitpic shows another not-so-fresh photo from a customer who, while shopping at 6:30 pm at Walmart, saw rotisserie chickens on display that had been cooked at 10:15 am.

A driving force behind the poor selection in products like produce? An article in the New York Times helps explain what has been happening more and more in Walmart’s across the country:

“Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer and grocer, has cut so many employees that it no longer has enough workers to stock its shelves properly.”

Walmart’s decision to deprive its associates of full-time work and healthcare is actually hurting the company:

“Internal notes from a March meeting of top Walmart managers show the company grappling with low customer confidence in its produce and poor quality. “Lose Trust,” reads one note, “Don’t have items they are looking for — can’t find it.”

Despite this problem, Walmart continues to expand across the country, while the average number of store employees has decreased from 338 to 281. Not only has the decrease in employee staffing and hours hurt the availability of fresh food, but it has created other issues as well:

“Tsehai Scott, a manager at a Los Angeles Walmart who is a member of the union-affiliated employee group OUR Walmart, said “sometimes there’s a 30- or 40-minute wait in the line” because there are not enough cashiers working. With as few as 11 people on the overnight shift stocking the 218,000-square-foot store, “stocking has fallen by the wayside in what we call the consumable areas,” meaning everyday products like food or toiletries. “The department won’t get as clean as it should,” she said, “or we’ll see spoiled food in the food department, that if we had enough hands, we could get it back to the freezer or refrigerator in time.”

The result of all of this? An exodus of customers to other retailers like Costco and Safeway.  When will Walmart realize that what is good for the associate is good for business too? If the company wants to turn things around, they should start by listening to what the world is telling it: treat your workers better.

Collective Bargaining, Organizing, Retail Food, UFCW Industries

Keany Produce Drivers Say ‘Yes” to a Union Voice with UFCW Local 400

Apr 04, 2013

Keany Produce drivers in Landover, Md. overwhelmingly voted to join UFCW Local 400.

On Friday, March 29, Keany Produce drivers stood up for their rights, living standards, safety, and health and retirement security by voting overwhelmingly for representation by UFCW Local 400.

After years of frustration over low pay, inadequate benefits, inconsistent hours, and unfair treatment, many of the 140 drivers decided they needed to empower themselves through collective bargaining. After an intensive, months-long, worker-led organizing drive, they won in a landslide.

“Divided we fall, united we stand,” said Terrance Helm, a Keany Produce driver who spearheaded the organizing effort. “It’s been a collective effort and we all came together.”

“I love my co-workers,” he said. “I have such an appreciation for all the hard work and the sacrifices they’ve made, and the strength they showed in standing up to management.”

Today, in the wake of their victory, morale among the workers is at an all-time high, Helm observed, and they are looking forward to sitting down across the bargaining table with management.

“We’re here to fight until the end,” he said.

Keany Produce is a wholesale produce distributor located in Landover, Md.