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Collective Bargaining, Press Releases

UFCW Local 400 Members Working at Kroger Successfully Ratify Three-Year Agreement

Aug 30, 2013

New Contract Raises Living Standards, Maintains Benefits For 4,800 Workers in Roanoke Area

UFCWnewsROANOKE, Va. – Members of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 working at Kroger in the Roanoke area successfully ratified a new, three-year collective bargaining agreement that raises their living standards and maintains their health and retirement benefits.

“This agreement is as good as any in the country,” said Local 400 President Mark P. Federici. “Despite the damaging impact of the Affordable Care Act on the joint labor-management Taft-Hartley Funds providing health care to our members, we were able to maintain current benefits. And despite the still-struggling economy, we were able to negotiate actual raises and bonuses. Our members deserve all the credit for this strong contract, because their solidarity and activism is what made everything possible.”

The bargaining was challenging and protracted, largely because Obama administration regulations covering implementation of the Affordable Care Act deny Taft-Hartley Funds any of the benefits of the new law while imposing major new burdens. As a result, the previous contract, which expired on March 31, 2013, was extended for five months, though many other negotiations in the grocery industry have required extensions lasting a year or longer.

Highlights of the new agreement include:

  • Increases in total compensation of nearly $2/hour over the life of the contract including wages and employer contributions to the health and retirement funds, plus bonuses.
  • Maintenance of health and retirement benefits for current employees.
  • Expansion of job classifications that increase the number of lead positions, creating new paths for career advancement and increases in earnings.
  • Defeat of numerous management proposals for worker concessions.

“I couldn’t be more pleased that our Kroger Roanoke members will be able to work for the next three years under an industry-leading collective bargaining agreement that empowers them to continue improving their lives,” Federici said.

 

 

Minority Coalition, Press Releases, UFCW Values

Statement by the UFCW Regarding the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

Aug 16, 2013

UFCWnewsWashington, D.C. – The following is a statement issued by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union regarding the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington:

“The UFCW is proud to stand with our brothers and sisters from across the country to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.  Fifty years ago on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his inspirational “I Have a Dream” speech to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Organized largely by A. Philip Randolph and black labor to promote freedom, economic equality and jobs, the March on Washington was a defining moment for the civil rights movement—spurring the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

“In spite of the advances we have made since the March on Washington 50 years ago—including the election of our first African American president—the dream of freedom, economic equality and jobs has not been realized. The Great Recession has widened the gap between the rich and poor, and African American and Latino communities, in particular, have been hit the hardest by the economic downturn.  These and other communities have also been the targets of voter suppression, and the recent Supreme Court decision to strike down key parts of the Voting Rights Act will undermine voting rights in future elections.

“The need to mobilize for freedom, jobs and equality has never been stronger, and the UFCW is honored to continue the work of the 1963 activists by fighting for social and economic justice in the workplace and in our communities.”

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Below, please find details of the Anniversary Commemoration Event:

The Fight for Social and Economic Justice Continues

Fifty years ago on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  The March on Washington was a defining moment for the civil rights movement and on Saturday, August 24, UFCW members and other progressive groups will commemorate the 50th anniversary of that groundbreaking event.

Event Details:

Date: Saturday, August 24, 2013

Time: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will meet at the Lincoln Memorial at 8 a.m. The program begins at 9 a.m. and the march will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Location: The Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Washington, D.C.

 

For additional information about various events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, please visit http://www.thekingcenter.org/

 

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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, http://www.ufcw.org/, or join our online community at http://www.facebook.com/ufcwinternational and https://twitter.com/UFCW

Press Releases, UFCW Industries

UFCW Opens 7th Regular Convention in Chicago

Aug 12, 2013

unityhall2-460x320Chicago, Il-  Today, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union opened its 7th Regular Convention at the McCormick Place Convention Center in downtown Chicago.  Delegates from across the U.S. and Canada representing local unions, inspired by the theme Blue. Gold. Bold. Powerful Together, are in the Windy City to chart a course for the next five years and beyond.  Their aim is to raise standards and build power for workers in the grocery, retail, and food manufacturing industries.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, U.S. Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) and Tammy Duckworth (IL-8), and activist/author Lilly Ledbetter opened the first day of convention with rousing and inspired speeches to the nearly 2000 delegates assembled.

The convention, brought UFCW delegates from across North America representing over 1.3 million UFCW members together to hold election of officers as well as to deliberate on taking steps to strengthen the UFCW’s strong base of member activists who are at the forefront of creative organizing campaigns, engaged collective bargaining programs and political activism.

“I am here today to tell you we can rebuild the American Dream for everyone,” said Rep. Jan Schakowsky.  “I am more optimistic than ever, not just because I know you are here to lead the fight, but because I see more working people coming together around the country than ever before.”

The convention which occurs every five years is an opportunity for UFCW members to come together, debate issues and take back organizing tools to their respective communities.

“This is awesome. I feel so excited to be here – this is our first convention,” said Sharon Hill a member of UFCW Local 932 from Russellville, AL.  “We just got our first contract, at Pilgrim’s Pride in Russellville, Alabama, and so to carry that good feeling all the way to Chicago and share it with all these other union members is just so amazing.”

Other notables slated to appear later in the week include U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA-12), U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (IL) and Sherrod Brown (OH), Congressman and Civil Rights icon John Lewis (GA-5), actor/activist Ashley Judd, and President of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters James P. Hoffa.  The convention ends Thursday, August 15.

 

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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 http://www.ufcw.org/, or join our online community at http://www.facebook.com/ufcwinternational and https://twitter.com/UFCW.