We polled our members and asked if they voted.  The results show that UFCW members had great voter turnout, and played a big role in supporting and re-electing President Obama! Here are some  member reactions to the  big win:

“amen!!!”

“yes sir, i voted- we as union workers are the big winners tonight!!”

“God bless America.”

“Thank god!! now if we can just get  our congress and senate to work for the people and r president …life will be grand!”

“i am very happy again”

“yes, it is time too celebrate and work hard for a stronger America!”

“yea lets move forward”

“President Obama’s reelection is a victory for UFCW members and workers across the nation. The President stabilized a failing economy, put in place new rules to prevent another financial crisis, and made important investments in the middle class. He reformed health care, made college more affordable, and helped guarantee women equal pay for equal work.

“There is much more to be done in a second term. It is time for immediate and bold action to create good-paying jobs. It is time for a tax code that is fair and helps close the gap between the rich and the poor. It is time to strengthen our labor laws so workers can join a union freely and fairly. And it is time to reform our immigration system so those who work hard and play by the rules can become American citizens. Only then can we truly recognize the President’s vision of shared prosperity and shared sacrifice.

“Achieving these goals will require leadership by President Obama. But he also needs a partner in Congress. Tea-party legislators tried—and failed—to defeat the President at any cost, calling it their top priority. I hope they will now put as much effort into addressing the great challenges facing our nation.

“The American people have spoken. It is time to get to work on their behalf.”

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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.

Once you’ve voted, let your friends and family know! Share this button on your Facebook page today and show your UFCW pride.

Have trouble at the polls? You can report any issues here.

This was UFCW President Joe Hansen’s message, summed up by a simple statement, in yesterday’s Huffington Post article, “A Clear Choice for Workers“.

President Hansen couldn’t have been more on the money.  Citing Vice President Joe Biden, who spoke to UFCW members this past Thursday, President Hansen pointed out that there has never been a clearer choice for workers in a presidential election about which candidate will stand up for them and fight for their rights alongside middle class America.

This year, a fed up and frustrated public supported tea party conservatives in several states, and once elected, these officials began a blatant attack on workers with “right-to-work” acts that aimed to take collective bargaining off the table, and threatened unions of all sorts, making the ability for teachers, firefighters, medical workers, and scores of other public employees to have a voice on the job virtually impossible.  President Hansen points out that the politicians who worked so hard to pass these type of actions, did nothing to create jobs. Electing Mitt Romney as our next president would only mean more anti-worker policies, when our country is in need of more, quality jobs. President Obama on the other hand, has proven to be a job creator.

President Hansen continues by stressing that unions have no place in the formerly know as “Moderate Mitt’s” presidency, who has flip-flopped into the palm of right-wing conservatives who no longer see union workers as “respectful adversaries across the negotiating table,” but “as bottom lines to be squeezed.”

When Romney says he will go after union bosses, President Hansen says, he is only threatening a cashier, or grocery bagger, or construction worker, or teacher who was brave enough to stand up and form a union and have a voice.  If you are undecided about who to vote for today, read Joe’s message and do what’s right for working America- vote for four more years of President Obama.

If this isn’t enough proof for conservative officials who claimed that September’s statistics, that showed the unemployment rate had fallen below 8% for the first time since since the President took office, were a fluke- then we don’t know what is.  It’s evident now more than ever that our president is a job creator.  The recovery process is slow, and there is still much to be done- like increasing stagnant wages and providing more full time work- but the choice is clear. Go out tomorrow and vote for the working class.

“This is the clearest choice labor has had in a presidential election in my lifetime,” said Vice President Biden. “Not only is labor at risk, but the whole middle class is at risk.”

“You, workers, are the only folks keeping the barbarians from the gate,” he continued. “Organized labor built the middle class… These guys are all out of the same mold – Kasich, Walker, Scott, Ryan, Romney, the National Chamber. They may be decent men personally, but you are on their list…You can’t kid yourselves.”

“Guys, we need you. We need you to vote and make sure every labor household votes for us – and we need you to go out there and make the case,” said Vice President Biden. “You guys vouched for me before. Remember. This is not your father’s Republican party…This is not a hard choice…Don’t compare Barack to the Almighty. Compare him to the alternative. And the alternative, for labor, is bleak, if the other guys get elected.”

Listen to the full remarks here:  Joe Biden Telephone Town Hall – November 1, 2012.

And then get out and vote! Tell your friends and family to vote! Want more info on how to vote, and how to vote early? Click here to find out more. Remember, as the Vice President said, “The future depends on you.”

Once you’ve voted, let your friends and family know! Share this button on your Facebook page today and show your UFCW pride.

Early voting has already begun in many states! Why wait until November 6^th when you can vote today? Avoid long lines at the polls and other potential issues, and make sure you make your voice heard in this important election. Click here to use our early voting calendar and find out when, where, and how you can vote early in the next week!

Why is this election so important? Because President Obama is pro-worker, pro-union, and pro-middle class.  Mitt Romney has made it his agenda to get rid of labor unions as we know them, and supports right-wing policies that will only make it harder for workers to have a voice on the job.  So vote to stand up for your rights.

At last night’s third and final presidential debate, Mitt Romney once again demonstrated that he is willing to say anything to get elected, and his shifting positions on domestic and foreign policy and willingness to lie and pander have raised questions about what he stands for and how he will govern.

Our country can’t afford to go back to the Bush/Cheney policies that proved disastrous here at home and abroad.  President Obama is the only candidate with the vision and experience to lead our country in the right direction—forward.

Here’s what UFCW members had to say following the debate:

Here’s a quick look at some members in action:

In Kentucky, union members and others in the community are supporting Democrat Charlie Hoffman for the 62nd House District. Up until two years ago, Hoffman had effectively represented his jurisdiction since 1997, but was edged out in the last election by newcomer Ryan Quarles.  Voters who sympathize with workers rights know that bringing back Hoffman is the right choice.  Having spent years as a career meat-cutter at Kroger, Hoffman knows what its like for the average American worker, and puts those values first. When he was in office, he proved to be an effective legislator, capable of working across party lines, and pressed for laws that benefited small farmers and other local workers.  The incumbent Quarles however, has not passed any such laws, and has not proved himself to be an advocate of working Americans.

In Michigan, union members are from across the state are drumming up support for Proposal 2.  Currently, Michigan state law requires public employees to pay 20% of their healthcare costs, a policy that highlights how the public sector has been shifting healthcare costs on to its employees.  Also, collective bargaining is limited for many workers, making the ability to fight for fair wages and safe equipment, among other things, very difficult.  If Proposition 2 is approved this year, it will help to protect jobs and families. UFCW members like Kristy Geldersma, an employee at Meijer have been out door knocking and phone banking to build support for this legislation that will strengthen the ability for unions to collectively bargain.

On October 9th, Obama supporters gathered for a rally in Dayton, Ohio.  UFCW Local 75 and 1059 members were in attendance, along with many others, to support candidates like State House Rep. Roland Winburn. The candidates support keeping jobs in Ohio and also investing and expanding vocational and technical training in the state to keep Ohio’s workforce competitive and growing. Continuing the support after the rally, members canvassed in nearby areas. Their message was about their main goal:  to not become a right to work state. They’re also reminding their friends and neighbors that President Obama is standing up for people to have a union voice on the job, while Mitt Romney does not support people having a voice at work.

Romney and his running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, have made it clear that they intend to make significant cuts to K-12 education, as well Pell grants and job training. They are against comprehensive immigration reform. They do not support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and and want to repeal “Obamacare” and take us back to the days where people are denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. The only groups benefiting from the Romney/Ryan plan are the wealthy few—whose taxes would be cut even further — and corporations, which would receive tax breaks for shipping good middle class jobs overseas.

Romney couldn’t make up his mind about jobs during this debate, covering just about every position throughout the two hour and a half hour broadcast:

• “I’m going to make sure you get a job. Thanks Jeremy. Yeah, you bet,”
• “As president, I will create 12 million new jobs,”
• “The government doesn’t create jobs,”

Talk about flip-flopping. Meanwhile, President Obama spoke eloquently about his vision for bring not just any jobs, but good paying jobs back to America.

We can’t afford to go back to the same old trickle down policies that got us into this economic mess in the first place. This debate made it clear that President Obama is committed to making life better for working families and our most vulnerable citizens.

For those of you who don’t know Phil Meza, a.k.a. “Mr. Picketman,” the UFCW Local 1428 member got his nickname during a rally one day, after he scrawled out a song on the back of his picket sign – a song he would soon lead the crowd in singing. Music has been a lifetime hobby for Picketman, but, throughout his 20 years as a union member and Albertson’s employee in Southern California (where he served as a department manager for years, and then as a front end service supervisor) he’s developed ideas for songs that he could use to help further the fight to protect working families.

Check out the latest Picketman video here:

_{Paid for by United Food and Commercial Workers Active Ballot Club Education Fund
1775 K Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20006
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.}

Good News for Voters in Pennsylvania

This week’s decision by a Pennsylvania judge to halt the state’s new voter identification law, ordering that it not be enforced for the presidential election, is a step in the right direction. Voter ID laws target those who are least likely to have photo IDs or to be able to afford any, and make it harder for people—including minorities, seniors and low-income voters—to exercise their right to vote.

With the election just five weeks away, the ruling by Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson means that voters in Pennsylvania will not be required to show photo ID at the polls on Election Day—making it easier for all eligible Pennsylvanians to participate in this important election.

Pennsylvania is a swing state with 20 electoral votes up for grabs. According to recent surveys compiled by RealClearPolitics, President Obama is leading in statewide opinion polls by an average of 8 points.

Mitt Romney: A Man of the People?

After dismissing half of the American people as “victims” at a private fundraiser in May, it’s amazing that Romney would try to hoodwink middle class and low- income voters into thinking that he cares about them. In last night’s debate, Romney tried to portray himself as a man of the people and said that he would not raise taxes on middle-class families or reduce the share of taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans.

Don’t be fooled. Romney and his and his running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, have made it clear that they are planning to pay for more tax cuts for the wealthy at the expense of America’s workers and the poor. They want to make significant cuts to programs that serve the poor and middle class—including cuts to K-12 education, job training and grants which help kids go to college, replacing Medicare with a voucher system that would increase health care costs for seniors, and gutting Medicaid for the working poor.

The only groups benefiting from the Romney/Ryan plan would be the wealthiest Americans—whose tax cuts would be permanent if Romney and Ryan have their way—and corporations, which would receive tax breaks even as they continue to ship good middle class jobs overseas.

With the election only five weeks away, America’s workers face a stark choice between an opportunist who favors the wealthy one percent at the expense of the young, the elderly, the sick and the poor, and a leader who has given a voice to those who are too often overlooked and is fighting to create jobs and prosperity for all Americans.

Voting in Ohio is underway!

Early voting has begun in the swingiest of swing states – good old Ohio. After a bumpy ramp up to early voting, involving some bizarre actions on the part of Ohio Secretary of State John Husted, things appear to be running smoothly. So far, early voting numbers are high compared with four years ago. Seems like the people of Ohio are ready to get their vote on! If you’re looking for more information on early voting in Ohio, click here.  And if you’re not in Ohio, don’t despair! Early voting will continue to spread around the country over the coming weeks. More specifically: California Oct. 7; Indiana Oct. 9; Arizona Oct. 11; Georgia Oct. 15; Kansas Oct. 17; Tennessee Oct. 17; North Carolina Oct. 18; Nevada Oct. 20; New Mexico Oct. 20; Alaska Oct. 22; North Dakota Oct. 22; Arkansas Oct. 22; Colorado Oct. 22; D.C. Oct. 22; Illinois Oct. 22; Texas Oct. 22; Wisconsin Oct.22; Hawaii Oct. 23; Louisiana Oct. 23; Utah Oct. 23; West Virginia Oct. 24; Florida Oct. 27; Maryland Oct. 27; Oklahoma Nov. 2

Today is National Voter Registration Day!

Are you registered yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

Click here to get registered today!

On the National Voter Registration day site, can you also find a registration event- just type in your zip code, and select the distance you are willing to travel.  A list of locations becomes instantly available for you, complete with all the details you need, including the time of the event and contact information.

For residents of many states, you can register right from your computer! Just click the “Register to Vote” tab, and fill in your information as the site takes you step by step through this super easy process.

If you’re already registered, there’s more you can do! Go to http://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/ and click on the “Promote” tab.  There, you will find a variety of neat ways to tell other people to register.  You can either change your profile picture and status on Facebook with a National Voter Registration Day logo, send an e-mail, Tweet about it (you can even tweet to your favorite celebrities straight from the site), or share any of the graphics provided on the site through any media you choose.

Think you have all the time in the world to register? Think again- in the 2008 election, 6 million Americans didn’t vote because they either missed the registration deadline, or didn’t know how.  That’s why National Voter Registration Day is employing thousands of organizations, volunteers, and social media outlets to get the word out about registration.  Because no matter who you are voting for, it’s so important that you do.  Exercise your right as an American to have a voice in your government.

Click here to get registered today!

Here are some of the highlights of what they said!

“Having my church have voter registration available  for all the young people and seniors”

“I sent $ to the DNC and i am proudly displaying my Obama/Biden bumper sticker”

“Not voting for Romney”

“Go to vote”

“Phone banking and canvasing- also taking anyone to vote early that will let me”

“Canvassing”

“Voting for Obama!”

“Passing better legislation”

“Helping a local state senate candidate”

“helping whenever needed”

“i’m reminding everyone i speak to is we need to move forward not backwards”

“I’m gonna drag everything that ain’t glued down 2 the polls…lol”

“Lookin’ 4 help to start a union at my Walmart”“Stand up for my rights”

“Tryn’ to make sure everyone that i know votes in November!”

“I work on the polls for our rights that the G.O.P. is trying to take away from us”

“Making sure the working class understand that president Obama is the best candidate for our future and we need to keep moving forward!!!!”

“Run for state rep”

If you want to join the UFCW rapid response team and be part of the next poll, sign up to receive text messages by texting JOIN to MYUFCW (698329). Your feedback could be the next to be featured on the UFCW blog.

Some may not be familiar with Mr. Picketman, but as a member of Local 1428, his contributions to the fight for working families are an inspiration, not only because of the time and effort he puts forth to the cause, but his musical talents as well.  Meza has created several hip-hop songs dedicated to various causes in the labor movement, including the 2008 Obama campaign,  and this year’s Wisconsin recall effort of Governor Scott Walker.  Additionally, he has worked with OUR Walmart to create songs that highlight Walmart’s anti-worker agenda.

And now, Meza adds to his list of labor-inspired works with “Obama 2012″.  Just as catchy as his previous beats, the song is a strong call to all of our brothers and sister to vote in this election for President Obama.

“The choice is evident, it’s time to re-elect the president,” Meza raps on the song.  His message may be simple, but it could not be more important: President Obama is the candidate we need in the white house next year, because he will “stand with the working class”.

Check out the Mr. Picketman’s song here!

Photo credit: Elections Meter

There are 47 percent who are with him,” Romney said of Obama supporters in the video, “who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. These are people who pay no income tax.”

As a candidate for president, it’s amazing that Romney would write off half the American people as “victims” and declare at the same fundraiser that his job “is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

In the weeks leading up to the election, Romney and his running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, will continue to pay lip service to America’s workers and the middle class.  This video underscores what they really think of America’s workers—the cornerstone of the middle class—who pay payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare and our seniors who depend on these programs for their health and well-being. Check it out:

Penny Gibson is a meat-cutter at Kroger, a union member, a political activist, and definitely a star steward for UFCW Local 876.

One of the great things Penny is doing to help her coworkers and her community is helping people to register for this year’s election.  With the help of her local union’s Voter Registration Toolkit, Penny working hard to make sure all her coworkers, friends, and neighbors, have a voice in November.

Penny has also dedicated her time and energy to the Protect Our Jobs effort, a drive to put a measure on the November ballot allowing voters to decide on a proposal to add the right to collective bargaining to the Michigan constitution. She secured over 50 signatures, the most of any Local 876 steward. With collective bargaining under attack in so many states across the country, Michigan has a chance to lead the charge for the basic freedoms of speech and association that collective bargaining represents.

Penny says she’s dedicated herself to protecting collective bargaining in part because “many young workers do not realize it is their union contract that provided that raise, that $3 prescription refill, and that week-long paid vacation up north. It is not the company that provided these benefits, it was the union who negotiated these on our behalf.”

With Penny on the case, those young workers will be activists in no time! UFCW member activists and stewards keep their union running. To learn more about how to get involved with your local union, email submissions@ufcw.org or send us a message on Facebook.

Here’s why these companies do NOT need more tax cuts, and why Romney’s energy plan is not good for America:

• According to the Center for American Progress Action Fund, Big Oil earned a combined $137 billion in 2011, or $261,000 per minute.
• Big Oil advocates claim that they need the existing tax breaks to create jobs and increase oil production. But even with these tax breaks, some of these companies have produced less oil and laid off thousands of workers over the past six years. In fact, an analysis by the House Natural Resources Committee Democrats found that “ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP combined to reduce their U.S. workforces by 17,500 jobs between 2005 and 2010.”
• Big Oil and gas companies, their lobbying arm the American Petroleum Institute, and various oil-funded nonprofits have already spent more than $20 million on paid advertising to oppose President Obama’s proposal to eliminate the Big Oil tax breaks, and generate public support for oil drilling off protected coasts and other oil issues too.
• His plan, following the lead of the Ryan budget, would force huge cuts to critical programs including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.  Gov. Romney is apparently willing to increase the deficit to continue tax breaks for Big Oil companies and cut their taxes even further.
   

credit: Center for American Progress Action Fund

The continuation of tax subsidies for Big Oil reflects the industry’s longstanding political influence.

America needs to pay close attention to the specific plans Romney has in mind for our country if he were to win the 2012 election. The facts show that President Obama’s actions while in office, as well as his plans for the future, are what’s best for young Americans, working families, and the middle class.

“The Republican Party’s anti-worker platform at their convention in Tampa, Fla., this week further highlights the GOP’s disconnect from the realities of everyday Americans. Instead of offering any serious solutions for creating jobs with benefits and wages that can support a family and addressing the growing gap between the rich and the poor, convention speakers like Chris Christie, Scott Walker and Nikki Haley have resorted to pitting workers against workers by lashing out at labor unions.

“America’s workers are the cornerstone of our country’s middle class, and making it easier for hard working men and women to stick together through a union would put more company profits in the hands of working people and strengthen America’s middle class. While Republican candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, claim to care about the middle class, they have challenged the very idea of the right of workers to stick together and bargain for basic rights—including fair pay, health care and retirement benefits.

“The best way for workers to have a say about their working conditions is by sticking together as a union, and the UFCW will continue to fight any action by Romney, Ryan and followers like Christie, Walker and Haley who favor the wealthy one percent over America’s workers and the poor.”

###

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.

“During the Republican presidential primaries, there was no one more radical on the issue of immigration than Mitt Romney. He promised to veto the DREAM Act and encouraged undocumented immigrants to self-deport. Last week, he criticized President Obama’s historic immigration order as temporary, even though it would prevent the deportation of nearly a million young, patriotic immigrants who work hard and play by the rules. Today, in front of the nation’s Latino leaders, Romney offered more of the same, pledging to replace the President’s order with something more permanent. That something is likely to be in the mold of Arizona’s restrictive and inhumane immigration law, an approach Romney strongly supported. Mitt Romney may be a flip-flopper, but when it comes to immigration, his extreme position is crystal clear.”

###

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.

“”The repeal of Senate Bill 5 is bigger than just one law or one state. It sends a message to all those who would try to silence the voice of American workers: you do so at your own peril. It shows that the right to bargain collectively for a better life is fundamental—not some perk that can be stripped away on a whim. The votes cast today in Columbus and Cleveland and everywhere in between will have aftershocks in Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Washington D.C.

“”America’s working families want a good job that pays a fair wage, decent affordable health care, access to a quality education for their kids, and a little money left in the bank so they can retire with dignity. They also understand that the economic mess we find ourselves in today was caused by Wall Street, not Main Street. They know the guilty parties are speculators and predatory lenders, not teachers and first responders. Extreme politicians like Governor Kasich are waging war on the middle class.

“”Today’s vote shows that we are fighting back. And better yet, we are winning. I am proud of the UFCW and its members for their great work in Ohio. We understand that an attack on one worker—whether public or private sector, union or non-union—is an attack on all workers. We are proud to be part of diverse coalition of activists, including the entire labor movement, who dedicated countless hours to the fight for workers’ rights in Ohio.

“”Tonight we know that America’s middle class will no longer sit idly by. The silent majority is silent no more. Every elected official that would do us harm should take notice.”"

The workers’ campaign began when several National Beef workers contacted the UFCW seeking a union voice on the job. At that time, National Beef and the UFCW agreed on a fair and balanced process that allowed employees to vote on whether or not they wanted union representation. UFCW represents the workers at a neighboring Cargill beef slaughter and processing plant in Dodge City.

“Helping to organize my co-workers into a union was a life changing journey,” said Rebecca McGary, a worker in the fabrication department at National Beef.

“We know that workers at Cargill, just down the street from National Beef, have had a contract with Local 2 for many years – and that means they have always had a say in their wages, benefits and working conditions,” said Ramon Prieto who works on the kill floor at National Beef and who took a leading role in organizing his co-workers. “That’s why I voted to join the UFCW, so that we all will have a chance to negotiate benefits and salaries, job security, and a better life for our families.”

The National Beef workers are the latest in a series of meatpacking workers to join the UFCW at locations across the country. On October 19, approximately 1,000 workers at a JBS beef kill facility in Plainwell, Michigan joined UFCW Local 951. On October 25, 125 workers at a Farmland Foods facility in Carroll, Iowa joined UFCW Local 440. And in late September, 300 workers at Nebraska Prime in Hastings, Nebraska joined UFCW Local 293.

“”The 1.3 million members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) are ready to fight for the future of our country and to stand with leaders who will stand up for working families. President Barack Obama is that leader.

“”I am proud to announce that the UFCW is endorsing President Obama’s reelection campaign because our members understand how much is at stake in this election. President Obama has stood up for the jobless, the uninsured, the middle class taxpayer, Medicare recipients, working women, and accountability from Wall Street. UFCW members are ready to mobilize for the president and to elect more leaders who will stand with him in Congress and statehouses across the country.

“”Cashiers and grocery workers are ready to stand up to elect leaders who will ensure good jobs stay in their communities and that their children can achieve their dream for a better life. Meatpackers and food processors are ready to stand up to elect leaders who will keep fighting to hold Wall Street gamblers accountable to the home owners and retirees who have invested in their future and deserve security and honesty from financial institutions.

“”Working families are struggling during this recession – a recession created by Bush-era tax breaks, lack of financial regulation and unnecessary military escalation. Turning our economy around is going to take a tremendous effort – an effort that must be led by a president who speaks for the 99 percent of Americans who clock into work every morning, instead of those who simply watch stock tickers all day.

“”UFCW members are energized because corporate-backed politicians at the federal and state level have launched an all-out assault on working people. President Obama is fighting back.

“”UFCW members have never stopped fighting back in statehouses and in their communities. They are ready to win the fight for the White House in 2012. The UFCW will be mobilizing, organizing and energizing our members, their friends and families to keep President Obama in the White House and to elect a Congress that works hard for hard working Americans. Ours is an enthusiastic choice to stand with President Obama as he fights against political opposition that seeks to enrich a select few at the expense of millions of regular Americans.”"

“American workers are struggling to make ends meet during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.  Workers in the grocery, retail, meatpacking and food processing industries are no exception.  Union contracts offer the best opportunity for stable, middle class jobs. While the National Labor Relations Act gives workers the fundamental right to join a union and achieve the benefits of collective bargaining, the NLRB’s current rules are seriously outdated, needlessly complex, and foster frivolous litigation.  The current process creates barriers to workers exercising their fundamental right to form a union. It’s time to return the process to its original intent – which is to give workers a clear path to making the choice when they want collective bargaining.

“We view the proposed election rule changes as a modest but important first step toward modernizing and streamlining an outmoded process that encourages unnecessary, time-consuming and wasteful litigation.

“The proposal to defer resolution of most voter eligibility issues until after the election, including all bargaining unit disputes affecting less than 20 percent of the unit, would make the current process more efficient and worker-friendly. Just ask the employees of Home Market Foods in Norwood, Mass., who sought representation by UFCW Local 1445. Workers petitioned for an election in a unit of all production, maintenance, shipping, receiving and housekeeping employees, including 11 quality assurance (Q.A.) technicians but excluding nine Q.A. technologists, who the technicians consider to be their supervisors. However, the company argued that none of the Q.A. workers should be in the unit – or if they were included, that the technologists were not supervisors and should vote in the election.  By disputing the Q.A. workers’ status, the company delayed the election until 79 days after the petition was filed.  And during this delay, management used the time to further threaten workers with job loss and plant closure if they won in the election. The workers lost the election 104-114. If the Q.A. employees’ eligibility to vote had been deferred until after the election, the election would have taken place before the employer’s scare tactics had their intended effect. In that case, the workers would have won the election by a big enough margin that their votes would not have affected the outcome.

“This is exactly why the proposed changes are needed.  Workers go to work to earn a living, not to get engaged in a protracted lawyer-driven tug of war with their employer. When workers want to organize a union, they want to do it immediately.

“The proposed rule changes will not interfere with employers’ free speech rights. Workers know their employers’ views on unionization.  And if workers are unclear about their employers’ position, it doesn’t take long for them to find out.  Nor will this rule change lead to “ambush” elections, as claimed by employer-funded lawyers.  Almost all union election campaigns are well underway and well known to employers long before an election petition is filed. In virtually all instances, employers have ample time to communicate with their workers.

“This fact is supported by a recent study by Professors Kate Bronfenbrenner of Cornell and Dorian Warren of Columbia, both of whom will address this panel later today.  Their research shows that “Thirty-one percent of serious [unfair labor practice] violations occurred 30 days before the petition was filed and 47 percent of all serious allegations occurred before the petition was filed.” The data support their conclusion that employer “opposition starts long before the filing of the petition.”  UFCW organizers have long known and experienced this first-hand many times.

“The UFCW is optimistic that the proposed rule changes will begin to restore the NLRB election process back to what it was intended to do – give workers a clear process to organizing a union.  We are, however, concerned about the possible elimination of the blocking charge policy.  Strong employer opposition to union organizing campaigns is the rule rather than the exception. Workers and their unions, when faced with serious employer unfair labor practices during the critical period, may need temporary postponement of the election to try to counter the employer’s illegal conduct. The blocking charge policy is needed to help attempt to prevent that from happening.

“The UFCW will make a more detailed response to the Board’s Notice of Proposed Rule Making in the written comments it plans to file. Again, thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of the proposed rule.”

Just ask the workers at the 2 Sisters Food Group plant in Riverside, California. When a majority decided they wanted a union voice in their workplace, their employer used the lengthy timeline of the NLRB election process to mount a vicious harassment and intimidation campaign. Instead of investing in their workforce, they hired anti-worker consultants. They distributed anti-union flyers. They forced attendance at daily anti-union meetings. They insisted on including leads who appeared to be supervisors in the unit, which workers agreed to, in order to avoid a lengthy pre-election litigation delay.

As Election Day neared, bosses escalated their campaign by hiring uniformed security guards to monitor the comings and goings of every worker. They illegally fired five workers for their union support-one just a week before the election. When the voting came, off-shift workers were forced to wait at a parking lot gate and then personally escorted one by one to the ballot box by the company CEO, then escorted off company grounds.

The harassment, intimidation and illegal firings were too much.  Workers feared for their livelihoods, and they narrowly lost their bid for a union.

Todays proposed rule is an acknowledgment that the pressure and bullying 2 Sisters workers encountered shouldnt happen in an American workplace or at an American ballot box. American workers have the right to vote on whether to form a union; and the election process should be straightforward and streamlined; it shouldnt involve long delays nor require workers to navigate a legal maze.

Empty and inflammatory rhetoric that derides health reform as “Obamacare” and demonizes leaders as socialists will not right the imbalance in our economy or help working people make ends meet. Our politics must rise to the challenges we face and provide sensible legislative measures that ensure a foundation for secure and stable communities.

When our new Congress convenes in January, will Republican lawmakers continue to obstruct the legislative process—as they have over the last two years—and continue to walk away from their responsibility to help govern? Or will they join with President Obama in an effort to put America back to work?

Working families have been losing ground for three decades. Household income has stagnated.  Productivity is up, but wages are down. Hundreds of thousands of middle class jobs have been shipped overseas. And many of our elected leaders, complicit with Wall Street greed, stood by and let bankers make and break the rules, and when their house of cards collapsed working families paid the price.

All elected leaders should take on their responsibilities to govern and turn immediately to the pressing issues confronting working America with bold ideas, creativity, and solutions. To move forward, our country needs a national agenda that begins with an honest conversation about restoring fairness to our economy, and generating good-paying jobs that keep families secure and America strong.

We need an agenda that, in the short term, provides security for the unemployed with an immediate extension of unemployment benefits.

We need a dispassionate approach to legislation and policies that recognizes that service jobs—retail salesperson is one of the fastest growing jobs in America—are the future of our economy and must become middle class jobs. We need to solve our broken immigration system, which would, if reformed, pump trillions into our economy and raise living standards for workers; create a sustainable energy program, and embark on infrastructure renewal that would put millions of Americans back to work.

American democracy goes beyond an angry vote at the ballot box. Working families care about building a better America because a better America means a better future for our kids and grandkids. The UFCW pledges to work with all elected leaders who are committed to restoring balance in our economy and rebuilding our middle class.

Although the vast majority of the 550 workers signed cards indicating they wanted to be represented by the UFCW, the company demanded workers hold an election. Before the election could be held, Smithfield reverted back to the anti-worker approach they had used for many years in Tar Heel—threatening, harassing and firing people to intimidate and divide Wilson workers to keep them from coming together for a voice on the job.

The company called the police to harass workers and union organizers who were legally handbilling on public property.

They told off-duty employees that they were not allowed to distribute handbills in the employee parking lot—even though workers do have this right.

They forced workers to attend meetings at work where supervisors spread misinformation about the union.

They fired at least two vocal union supporters during the drive.

Smithfield’s behavior underscores the need to pass the Employee Free Choice Act—legislation which would let workers choose how they join a union—through signing cards, or through an election. The legislation would hold employers accountable when they use dirty, illegal tactics to intimidate workers into voting no. If Employee Free Choice were law, Wilson workers could have chosen freely, without enduring a pressure campaign on the job every day.

With 15 union members riding a union-made float and 250 marchers alongside, the workers’ contingent was one of the largest groups in the parade. This is the first time in recent memory that workers have participated in the parade.

Somma, who lives in Pittsburgh and is a member of the United Steelworkers, rode the float representing the AFL-CIO constituency group Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA). She says labor’s participation shows the power of the American Dream for all people.

It’s very exciting to be welcoming a person of color into the White House and to be a part of history. Even if it was minus 20, I would be glad to be here. This is an incredible achievement for this country. For Barack Obama to come from his background and rise to the top is not the typical American story. His inauguration is part of the transition of this nation to fully embrace all its citizens.

Marching with a banner, “America’s Workers: United for Change,” participants also carried flags that represented the issues most important to working families: an “Economy That Works for All,” “Great Public Schools,” “Good Jobs Green Jobs” and “Health Care for All.” The overall theme of the labor float is “Honoring America’s Workers.”

- James Parks, AFL-CIO Now blog; click here for his complete report.

Senator McCain has borrowed from the Bush Administration’s playbook of supporting trade agreements that have devastated the economy and sent good, middle class jobs overseas.  He has consistently voted for unfair trade agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and supported China’s entry into the World Trade Organization despite its ongoing history of human rights and workers’ rights violations.  To add insult to injury, he also voted against measures intended to help stem the flow of jobs lost due to these agreements.

These unfair trade agreements have resulted in the loss of high-wage jobs across the manufacturing sector and damaged our country’s long-standing reputation for technical innovation.  NAFTA has contributed to the loss of approximately three million high-wage manufacturing jobs in the United States since 1994, and the loss of high-wage manufacturing jobs to China has forced many Americans to work for substandard wages and benefits—further endangering our country’s economic stability and security.
America’s workers cannot afford four more years of a leader who favors corporate interests over the well being of America’s middle class.  The 2008 election provides us with an opportunity to elect a leader who will be tougher in demanding a fair trade system that puts America’s workers first.  The UFCW will continue to fight for trade reform by mobilizing its 1.3 million members to ensure that Senator Barack Obama becomes the next president of the United States.

McCain-omics recycles the failed economic policies of President Bush and builds on the president’s seven-year record of fiscal incompetence and mismanagement.  Over the course of the Bush Administration, America’s debt has increased to over $9 trillion, gas prices have climbed to over $4 a gallon, and the share of mortgages entering foreclosure is at the highest level on record since 1979.  In addition, the number of uninsured Americans, including children, has increased to 47 million, and the cost of health care has risen three times faster than inflation and wages.

While Senator McCain tries to portray himself as a maverick who cares about America’s workers, McCain-omics marches in lockstep with corporate America and ignores the needs of  working men and women who are struggling to cope with the high cost of health care, housing, food, fuel and education.  In fact, McCain-omics adds to the economic burden of America’s workers by creating a new tax on working families by making employer-paid health care premiums part of taxable income.

The 2008 election presents us with an opportunity to elect a leader who will bring positive economic change and put the needs of America’s workers above corporate interests.  The UFCW is fighting for the type of change that is needed to restore the American Dream—including good jobs, affordable health care, retirement security, worker safety and the right to choose a union—by mobilizing its 1.3 million members to ensure that Senator Barack Obama becomes the next president of the United States.

submitted by UFCW member Phillip Mesa

Hello my name is Phillip Meza and I am a proud member of UFCW local 1428 in California. I have been a member of the UFCW for 17 years now and an employee of Albertsons. I didn’t really realize how important our union was until the strike and lock-out that we went through in 2003-2004. That’s when I really got active and took true interest in the causes that our union fights for.

With my involvement in the Hip-Hop community I felt it was only fitting to express my views through music. As Mr. Picket Man, I put to music the thoughts, views and struggles into a few songs. All I hoped was to inspire those of us on the picket line the keep our heads held high and keep fighting.

Now in 2008 we are in another fight. A fight to get a man elected to the office of
President of the United States of America. That man is Barack Obama and I truly believe he is the candidate that honestly knows, shows and cares about us.

I feel in my heart that he actually knows our stories and what our lives are like as working people. It has been a long time since I have felt so trusting of a politician, but there is something in him that I Believe and I am ready for the Change that I know he can bring to this great nation.

This new song that I have done is dedicated and donated to the UFCW to express my views of Barack Obama as I pledge my vote to him. I hope that all of you would do the same. If all us as the great Union that we are would cast our vote for Barack Obama on November 4th. I am sure we will all soon be referring to him as Mr. President.

Please realize that we are not just voting for a president but that we are voting for our future.

Thank You.

“OBAMA 08″

Click to listen

Currently, companies don’t have to pay taxes on the money they spend on employee health care plans. McCain wants to change that. Basically, he wants to take away the tax breaks given to employers and offer much smaller breaks to individuals.

This might sound good at first. After all, your employer has more money than you do, right? So why do they need a break?

But health care costs have already gone up so much that many companies are scaling back their health benefits as it is. Without the tax breaks they currently receive, many companies are going to start dropping plans altogether.

The McCain camp has spun the plan to sound like you’ve now got the right to choose your own coverage. That his plan will fix our nation’s health care crisis by putting it in the hands of American families.

What American families will really have in their hands is a stack of bills they may not be able to pay and plans, like HSAs, that don’t offer real coverage. The $2,500-$5,000 tax break McCain is offering just isn’t going to pay for the over $12,000 that the average family plan actually costs.

You’d think with the U.S. market a state of crisis and families losing their homes because they can’t pay their mortgages, McCain would have learned a thing or two about what happens when you deregulate and leave the well-being of the country up to the whims of the free market.

The health insurance industry is already one of the least regulated businesses in America today. What other service do you pay for when you don’t need it, and then get denied the service when you do? At least personal savings accounts at the banks are insured by the FDIC, but where do you go when your insurance company denies care due to a pre-existing condition?

Today, Senator Barack Obama announced his support for Health Care for America Now, a coalition the UFCW joined to fight for quality, affordable health care for everyone. He’s pledged to fight on the side of the American people–not big business.

Tomorrow, we need your help. We’ve got Obama’s support, but we need to know where the rest of Congress stands. Are they with the American people or are they going to leave us on our own until the health care crisis explodes into a catastrophe?

We mobilize tomorrow. If you read this, we need you to be a part of the solution and make the call to hold Congress accountable. So tell your friends and tell your family. Call your representatives and ask them: which side are you on?

Learn more at www.healthcareforamericanow.org

This is our chance to see Biden and Palin match wits in a formal setting. This is our chance to hear where Palin stands on the issues, if she has a stance, or if she can tap dance around having to admit what her stance is.

It will be curious to see what she has to say since she really hasn’t articulated a clear position on most of the important issues concerning working people. That might make her a safe choice for VP, but the possibility of having a vice president that hasn’t formally said what kind of advocate she’s going to be if she makes it into the White House is downright scary.

We do know she was elected governor of Alaska in 2006 and prior to that was mayor for six years of a town with a population 10,000. And nothing against small-town America, but that doesn’t inspire confidence that she is ready to lead an entire country– let alone the fact that by the end of her tenure as mayor, the town had racked up $20 million in debt.

So as you watch the debates, keep this in mind. If something happens to the president and either Biden or Palin has to step in, which candidate would be better equipped to lead us out of this economic mess we are in? Who would better represent the U.S. abroad? Who do you trust to show the visionary leadership we need to get us out of the Bush quagmire and restore the American dream to the people of this country?

That statement is as profound—and instructive—today as it was a half century ago when Dr. King wrote those words from a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama.

Labor Day traditionally kicks off the final sprint to Election Day. From now until November 4, Americans will engage in a national debate about who to entrust with the awesome responsibility of leading our nation. It is up to every single American to determine the tone and character of that debate. We have a choice. We can conduct this debate on the merits of each candidate, knowing that we are, all of us, tied in a single garment, endeavoring in the serious work of setting the future course for our children and grandchildren. Or we can use this national debate as a platform to breed division, conflict, and racial fears as some extremists are already doing in newspapers and over the airwaves.

We cannot solve the challenges before us unless we truly recognize that we must solve them together. Americans may come from different backgrounds and outlooks—but we share the same hope of achieving the American dream. All of us want to take part, and do our part, in a society that provides a better life for every American.

I believe Senator Barack Obama is the best candidate—the American dream candidate—not only for working people, but for all Americans. He believes in the promise of the American dream because he has lived it. He believes that, in America, if you work hard you ought to share in the success of your labor. In America, you ought to be able to earn wages and benefits that can raise a family.

From ending the war in Iraq to shoring up the economy, from ensuring health care for every American to solving our energy crisis, Barack Obama has thoughtful, well-formulated proposals designed to put America back on track—and make the American dream a real possibility again for working families. That’s why it is so gravely distressing to see the nefarious efforts of those who would turn back the clock in America by fueling racial fears and inciting racial conflicts around Senator Obama’s candidacy.

Americans need serious debate about how best to meet the challenges of our ailing economy. We need real, workable proposals on how to fix our health care system and make college more affordable for our kids. It’s critically important for the U.S. to regain its place as a leader on the world stage. Yet there are those who persist in distracting us with divisive and morally repugnant racial fear mongering.

In this election, working people have an incredible opportunity to turn our country around. We can reject the politics of division and conflict. We can say: “Not this time, not this election.”  Union members know better than most, as Martin Luther King says, “Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.” We know that an injury to one is an injury to all. And grave injury is caused by those who would demean this election with racial rhetoric.

Let’s focus the debate on the prospects for a better tomorrow in which all workers will have their rights protected and their hard work respected; a tomorrow with affordable health care for all Americans, economic prosperity and national security. If we conduct a responsible national debate, we can elect a new president who will bring about positive economic change—a president who will not put corporate interests above those of working people. We have a clear choice on the November presidential ballot. Barack Obama offers change and hope—he brings a commitment to the cause of working people. With his leadership, we can change America, and restore the American dream.

What matters to you? Health care costs? The cost of food and gas? Wages? Brittney Spears?

The latest McCain ad calls Barack Obama a celebrity along the lines of Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton. Republicans say he is more of a celebrity than a leader. But, Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton…oh, com’on! Watch Senator Obama’s response.

Right before this ad aired, McCain was defined as a “political celebrity” when he first announced his entrance into the presidential race. Of course, now it seems that he’s no longer claiming celebrity status. Google’s has McCain’s claim to fame cached.

McCain defined Obama as arrogant, out of touch and unprepared. Of course, “John McCain is aware of the internet,” and he doesn’t know the price of gas.

Tell us what you think: Who’s out of touch? McCain or Obama?

These are just a few of the things young workers are doing throughout the nation to make a differnce. With health care costs out of control, the economy a mess, rapidly rising gas prices, escalating college costs, the mortgage crisis, a broken immigration system…our nation needs all the help it can get.

This is a year for change if there ever was one. And hundreds of thousands of UFCW members will be working hard to send Barack Obama to the White House to make that change real.

But change doesn’t start with the President or the people in Washington, as Senator Obama points out in his speeches.

Change starts with us. We can make a difference. We can help UFCW members, workers, and fellow Americans around the nation in times of trouble. We can oppose greedy CEOs and corporations, and fight for better wages, affordable, quality health care for all, improved working conditions, and the dignity of a secure retirement.

We can speak together and become more powerful. We can stick together and make our voices heard–and we can shout out for a real shot at the American Dream for each and every person in this country.

We can all be leaders. Young workers can and will lead the way to the change we need today.

How are you working for change? Tell us what you’re doing to make this country a better place.

Senator Obama’s candidacy reflects our nation’s progress, but more importantly it represents the promise of a better tomorrow. A tomorrow in which all workers have their rights protected and their hard work respected; a tomorrow that brings affordable health care, real retirement security, economic prosperity, national security and worker safety.

For the past five months, the UFCW has mobilized its 1.3 million members across the country to support Senator Obama’s candidacy, and his message of hope and change has struck a chord with UFCW members of all ages. The UFCW will continue to mobilize, organize and energize our members to support Senator Obama and fight to regain the rights and protections that America’s workers have lost under the Bush Administration.

Obama said Wednesday he spoke with New York Senator Hillary Clinton, and he is confident the party can be brought together. Many Clinton supporters are revisiting the “Dream Ticket” rumors from a few months ago, pushing for Obama to name Clinton as his running mate. Privately Clinton has said she’d be interested in the VP slot. There are many othere potential running mates listed here, let us know who you think would be the best veep.

Senator McCain welcomed the Illinios Senator to the race by criticizing Obama’s inexperience and attempting to woo Clinton supporters onto the straight-talk bandwagon.

The past seven years of the Bush Administration have been a hard road to travel for America’s workers as they struggle to cope with the high cost of housing, health care, food, fuel and education. The fragile state of the economy, coupled with a sense of national foreboding, has led many Americans to believe that they will never achieve the American Dream of owning a home, providing their families with health care coverage, or retiring comfortably.

“This is our moment,” Obama said Tuesday night in Minneapolis.

Can we capitalize on it? Yes We Can!

Senator Obama’s campaign shows us the power that we have to change the direction of our country, and reminds us of our responsibility to reclaim our government on behalf of the hopes, dreams and aspirations of workers and their families across this great nation.

As he stands on the threshold of becoming the Democratic nominee for President of the United States, Senator Obama’s candidacy reflects our nation’s progress, but more importantly it represents the promise of a better tomorrow. A tomorrow in which all workers have their rights protected and their hard work respected.  A tomorrow that brings affordable health care, real retirement security, economic prosperity, national security and worker safety.

For the past five months, the UFCW has mobilized its 1.3 million members across the country to support Senator Obama’s candidacy, and his message of hope and change has struck a chord with UFCW members of all ages.  The UFCW will continue to mobilize, organize and energize our members to support Senator Obama and fight to regain the rights and protections that America’s workers have lost under the Bush Administration.

The past seven years of the Bush Administration have been a hard road to travel for America’s workers as they struggle to cope with the high cost of housing, health care, food, fuel and education.  The fragile state of the economy, coupled with a sense of national foreboding, has led many Americans to believe that they will never achieve the American Dream of owning a home, providing their families with health care coverage, or retiring comfortably.

While Senator John McCain now tries to distance himself from President Bush, his economic, health care and trade policies celebrate the Bush legacy of giving big tax breaks to corporations, increasing health care costs and reducing benefits, and supporting trade agreements that have devastated the economy and sent good, middle class jobs overseas.

America’s workers cannot afford another four years of a leader who values corporate interests over the well being of America’s workers and their families.  The UFCW will continue its fight to restore the American Dream by ensuring that Senator Obama becomes the next president of the United States.

The ad is running in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown, and starts Tuesday running through the March 4, 2008, primary.  The ad is posted on youtube.com at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aQs3_2V_Sw and a high resolution version is available upon request.

The text of the :30 ad appears here:

For once:  Can we put American jobs for workers first?  We have a recovery that reaches main street? And we stop spending money in Iraq and start spending it here?  Can we have affordable healthcare for everyone?  For everyone?  For everyone?  Can we really elect a president we can believe in?

Yes we can!    March 4th, your vote, your voice.  Your chance to change America. Barack Obama.  President.

Paid for by United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Active Ballot Club, ufcw.org which is responsible for the content of this ad.  Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

The UFCW has a powerful presence and a strong organization in key primary states such as Wisconsin, Hawaii, Texas and Ohio.  We are the largest union of young workers with more than forty percent of our members under the age of thirty.  Senator Obama’s message of changing hope into reality has inspired our members, particularly our young members, across the country.

We have the utmost respect for Senator Clinton and her tireless efforts on behalf of working people.  And while both Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have a vision to change America, we believe that Senator Obama is the best candidate to build a movement to unite our country that will deliver the type of change that is needed – for good jobs, affordable health care, retirement security and worker safety.

Our country requires a change—change that restores America to a place of opportunity and security, where hard work is respected and those who do it are protected.

Our country requires change that brings the security working people require to improve their lives and the lives of their children and grandchildren.

Senator Obama understands the needs of working people. As a community organizer, he understands that America must restore the balance between working America and corporate America. He will fight to level the playing field on behalf of workers across our country.  He will fight to regain the rights and protections workers have lost after too many years of the Bush Administration.

UFCW will be mobilizing, organizing and energizing our members, their friends and families to make Senator Obama not just the Democratic nominee, but the next President of the United States.

We are talking about the dreams of meatpackers and food processors working long hours to ensure that the dreams of their sons and daughters for college and a better life become a reality.  We are talking about giving life to the dreams of cashiers and clerks in retail and grocery stores. That is what this election is about. It is about the dreams of hard working people across this country. Men and women who deserve to have their elected officials work as hard as they do.

It is Senator Obama who is best positioned, and who has the best policies, to make these dreams a reality.  Senator Obama is the candidate of the American dream.

“”Working families voted, and working families won,”" said Joe Hansen, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). “”That’s the simple explanation for the results of Tuesday’s election.”"

The UFCW’s complete grassroots effort in Iowa brought new leadership to both state legislative chambers, two new pro-worker members of Congress, and a governor who understands the issues working families face. A top-to-bottom campaign in Michigan helped to change leadership in the State House there as well as re-electing Governor Granholm and Senator Stabenow. In addition to political races, UFCW members targeted state legislative campaigns as well. Faced with the threat of right-to-work-for-less legislation in Indiana, UFCW members mobilized and helped to change the leadership in the State House to candidates who oppose that anti-worker legislation.

Working with their own local unions, and together with both Change to Win and AFL-CIO affiliated locals, UFCW members used phones, mail, literature and member-to-member canvasses not only to get out the vote, but to inform people about issues like health care, minimum wage, and the right to join a union. More than a quarter million pieces of mail were sent to UFCW members in targeted states and districts.

“”Though the election is over, our members’ work is not over,”" Hansen said. “”In January, we’ll begin holding our newly elected leaders accountable on the issues on which they were elected. Our members will leverage their hard-fought political and legislative victories to push for meaningful health care reform, to improve the economy for working people, to secure real retirement security, and to help workers gain a voice on the job.”"

Hanley’s election as National Director follows the retirement announced earlier this week by Michael J. Fraser who had served as UFCW Canada National Director since 1999 and as International Executive Vice-President of UFCW since 2004.

“Michael Fraser has done an outstanding job leading UFCW Canada,” said Hanley. “I am committed to advancing the programs he has initiated. For more than 25 years, Michael has dedicated his life to improving the lives of working Canadians and I’m determined to continue that agenda.”

Like Fraser, Wayne Hanley also started out as grocery store employee in 1976. The teenage customer service clerk at a London, Ontario Miracle Food Mart soon became involved as a union activist. Over the next eight years, he went on to become a steward, a member of his local union’s executive board, and then an organizer when he was hired on staff at UFCW Canada Local 175 in 1984.

In 1992, Hanley was elected as Secretary-Treasurer of UFCW Canada Local 175. In 1999, he was elected President of Local 175 which today has grown to become North America’s largest single local, with over 50,000 members.

“I’ve been a friend and have worked with Wayne for over 20 years,” says Michael Fraser. “His vision, leadership and commitment to the members has never wavered. With Wayne, the future of UFCW Canada could not be in better hands. I congratulate him on his election. No one could be more deserving and I leave feeling confident of greater things ahead for Wayne and UFCW Canada.”

As for Fraser’s own future, “UFCW Canada will always be a part of my life, just a smaller part. I plan to continue to contribute in some way but what I’m really looking forward to is spending more time with my kids.”

UFCW Canada is one of Canada’s largest private sector unions with more than 230,000 members across the country working in retail, warehousing, food and beverage processing, manufacturing, hospitality, health care and other professional and service sectors.

“”We turned out on election day, and we will not be turned around. We activated an army of working families for this election, and we are now mobilized to fight for a program to rebuild working America,”" said Joe Hansen, president of the 1.4 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

Hansen congratulated the hundreds of UFCW local unions for their tireless and relentless work to register and turnout hundreds of thousands of union members, many of whom were first time voters. The UFCW is one of the largest unions overall, and one of the largest unions of working women, in most of the battleground states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. The UFCW, the largest union of workers under age 25, also collaborated with Rock the Vote and other youth-oriented programs to help generate a record turnout of young voters.

The efforts of the UFCW and the labor movement produced results. According to early reports, union members made up a record-shattering percentage of the electorate and provided a solid foundation of voters for change. The turnout numbers indicate a growing demand among working families for government action to restore the economic standing of the working middle class.

Despite a growing economy and increased productivity, workers have seen the steady outsourcing of good jobs, the steady decline of real wages, and a steady increase in health care costs and the number of uninsured working families. The Bush Administration launched an unrelenting assault on workers from its first days in office with the repeal of the ergonomic standard in early 2001 to proposing to take away overtime pay for millions of workers in 2004. More and more workers slid into poverty over the past four years threatening the future of a working middle class America.

Hansen declared, “”Implementing a program to rebuild working America is fight for the heart and soul of our country—will we continue to be a nation were hard work brings dignity, respect and a decent standard of living; or, will we be a nation where the wealth concentrates at the top while the many who do the work fall farther and farther behind?”"

The first agenda item in a program to rebuild working America, according to the UFCW leader, is health care reform. “”There is no greater threat to family economic and personal security than the loss of health insurance. Without decent health insurance, most working families are only illness away from an economic crisis that could shatter the family and dim its hopes for the future. Affordable, accessible, comprehensive health care for all working families is the foundation of restoring the working middle class.”"

A rebuild working America program would, according to Hansen, also focus government investment to generate job growth, raise the minimum wage and restore workplace rights.

“”We don’t want big government, we want effective government that acts to raise living standards and provide economic opportunity for working Americans,”" Hansen said.

John Kerry’s vision stands in stark contrast with record of the Bush Administration– more than 4 million workers have lost health insurance, real wages have gone down, millions of jobs have been lost, hundreds of thousands of workers have been needlessly injured because the ergonomic standard was repealed and millions face a pay cut because overtime law has been gutted. To say there is no difference between Bush and Kerry is to ignore the impact of Bush policies on the real lives of working families.

Ask a poultry worker crippled with repetitive motion injuries whether there is difference? Bush killed the ergonomic standard that could have prevented those injuries, while John Kerry fought on the Senate floor to keep the standard in force.

Ask a grocery store worker who was forced to strike for more than 4 months to keep health care benefits whether there is difference? Bush has done nothing except protect the interests of the drug companies and the insurance giants while everyday thousands of workers lose benefits. John Kerry has always been a fighter for health care reform and has a plan that helps protect health care benefits at work.

Ask a health care worker working long hours to support a family whether or not there is difference? George Bush re-wrote the overtime regulations to deny many health care workers overtime no matter how many hours they worked, lowering their living standards and denying them family time. John Kerry fought to protect overtime pay.

On every issue, John Kerry offers a pro-worker, pro-family, pro-America alternative to the Bush Administration. Another Bush Administration would inflict more and more suffering on working families. The election of John Kerry is the starting point for a new American dream that embraces the workforce and meets the challenges of the 21st century. For workers, voting matters, and electing John Kerry will make the difference between going forward in prosperity and security, or falling backward in economic and national insecurity. John Kerry is our best hope for the future of working America.

Workers in Madison, Wisconsin kick-started the national movement by voting for UFCW Local 1444 representation on July 15, 2002. Despite Whole Foods’ stall tactics, the workers continue to bargain with them and are working toward reaching a first contract.

The Madison campaign leaders launched a website, www.wholeworkersunite.org where workers from the 142 Whole Foods stores can connect with each other and learn about taking action for a better workplace.

“”Whole Foods workers across the country saw the Madison workers stand up and realized that they could take action to make their workplace better, too. The movement is growing,”" said xxxxxx

The campaign is building momentum around the country, with Whole Foods workers connecting via the website and email to learn more about organizing for a real voice on the job.

“”Whole Foods promotes itself as a great place to work, yet management fights worker efforts to organize with a vengeance. Workers deserve to have real representation, protection and a say over workplace issues,”" said.

The UFCW represents 1.4 million members at the nation’s major supermarket, food processing and meatpacking companies. UFCW members also work in the health care, garment, chemical, distillery and retail industries.

Thursday, July 31, 2003 – 2:30 P.M.

Moscone Center – San Francisco

Pre-Forum Press Briefing 12:30 p.m.-The Human Stories Behind The Numbers

In The Health Care Crisis-Workers On Strike For Affordable Health Care,

Workers with No Insurance, Workers Bargaining To Keep Coverage

(San Francisco)

THE ISSUE:

Over 3,000 working families a day lose health insurance coverage. Over 41 million Americans are uninsured. Health care costs are rising faster than inflation. At the nation’s largest private employer – Wal- Mart – more than 60 percent— or, about 600,000 workers – do not have company-sponsored health insurance. More corporations are dropping health benefits for employees and their families. More American workers are opting out of insurance as companies shift more of the cost to employees.

THE SPONSOR:

The 1.4 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) – America’s neighborhood union – represents grocery store clerks, food processors and health care workers – all growing sources of employment. The majority of UFCW members now have employer-paid health insurance – but, the health care cost crisis, along with competition from employers who do not provide insurance, threatens to destroy the employment-based health care system. Some of the largest strikes in the past 10 years—28,000 workers in New Jersey and 35,000 workers in Northern California – have been UFCW strikes over health care coverage. Demographically, the UFCW is a microcosm of voting, middle- income America with about 52 percent women, about 11 percent African-American and about 10 percent Latino.

THE EVENT:

The forum will take place on an open stage with a roving Bill Press, of MSNBC’s “”Buchanan and Press,”" posing questions from workers in the audience to the candidates seated in director’s chairs on stage. The backdrop will be a convention hall filled with 5,000 workers meeting to set an agenda for their union.