Where We Come From

  We work in front of customers and behind the scenes. Look for us operating the register in a local department store, stocking produce in a supermarket aisle, taking a child’s temperature in a hospital, slicing a cut of beef before it is delivered to a grocery store, or caring for your grandparents in a nursing home. We are the UFCW—North America’s Neighborhood Union.

   Working men and women across the United States and Canada are proud to call the UFCW their union. We are from all backgrounds and walks of life in big cities, small towns, and suburbs. We work in a wide range of industries, including health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile and chemical trades, and retail food.

  While the history of the UFCW begins in 1979, the history of the various industries that make up our union is long and proud. The industries that UFCW members work in were involved in the earliest stages of trade unionism in North America, and many times these workers acted as a catalyst for early change within the labor community.

  The progression the UFCW has experienced since its inception is due in large part to its extraordinary leaders. These men and women dedicated their lives to the labor movement, and pledged life-long service to UFCW members and all working people. As a result of their efforts, the workers of North America have initiated change and gained a strong voice on the job for themselves and for future generations.