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Corporate Responsibility, Economic Justice, Health Care, Retail, Social Justice, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values, Walmart, Workplace Safety & Health

OUR Walmart Members Take a stand at Retail Giant’s Shareholders’ Meeting

Jun 07, 2013

181280_465088263585536_203358837_nWalmart founder Sam Walton once said, “I’d still say that visiting the stores and listening to our folks was one of the most valuable uses of my time as an executive. But really, our best ideas usually do come from the folks in the stores. Period.”

Members of the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) could not agree more. Today, these brave men and women are taking a stand at Walmart’s annual shareholders’ meeting to protest the company’s practice of retaliating against workers who speak out for positive change in the workplace. Citing Walmart’s $16 billion in profits every year, OUR Walmart members are calling on the company to publicly commit to raising wages and increasing access to full-time hours so that no worker at Walmart makes less than $25,000 per year.

Walmart can and should lead the way in making sure that retail jobs are good jobs—the kind that come with good benefits and wages for all workers. If Walmart would listen to—and respect—its workers, it could not only reverse the downward trends that have plagued the company, it could also help to rebuild our country’s economy and strengthen America’s middle class.

For more information about OUR Walmart, visit http://makingchangeatwalmart.org/.

Constituency Groups, Immigration, Legislation, LGBTQ, Packing and Processing, Politics, Press Releases, Social Justice, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values, United Latinos, War on Workers

UFCW, Food Manufacturers Form Alliance on Senate Immigration Bill

May 08, 2013

UFCWnewsWASHINGTON, DC –The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union and the Food Manufacturers Immigration Coalition (FMIC) yesterday announced their partnership on comprehensive immigration reform in a letter sent to the Senate “Gang of Eight,” praising them for their efforts on S. 744. The labor-business coalition is also seeking improvements to the Senate bill in the areas of visa allocation and employment verification.

“We write in support of the comprehensive immigration reform process and thank you for your critical and constructive efforts in support of this legislation,” says the letter signed by UFCW International President Joe Hansen and Barry Carpenter of FMIC.

The labor-business coalition said they support the Senate bill’s provisions to establish a roadmap to citizenship, protect family based immigration, promote smart, effective border enforcement, implement a workable, transparent employment verification system, and create an occupational visa for non-seasonal, permanent positions. However, Hansen and Carpenter are also calling for commonsense improvements to S. 744 in the areas of visa allocation and employment verification.

The labor-business coalition asked for more flexibility when it comes to employment verification. “Allowing employers to use Self-Check in a uniform, nondiscriminatory fashion will create greater transparency for new employees, and will enable employers to ensure that their new hires are not circumventing E-Verify,” the letter reads.

Moreover, the letter outlined: “If an employer takes the extra step of deterring identity theft through the uniform use of Self-Check, then the employer should be presumed to have acted in ‘good faith’ with respect to the E-Verify confirmations it receives.”

Finally, the labor-business coalition requested that Senators direct the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Justice to create regulations that would provide specific rules of the road “describing a course of conduct…that satisfies employment verification requirements and concurrently avoids anti-discrimination liability.” “If an employer follows these regulations, then the employer is presumed to have complied with both the verification and anti-discrimination rules,” the letter reads.

The labor-business coalition said they look forward to working with the Senate to improve S.744 and seeing comprehensive immigration reform become the law of the land.

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Economic Justice, Politics, Social Justice, UFCW Values

2013 ABC Contest

May 01, 2013

DSC_0109UFCW’s political action committee, the Active Ballot Club (ABC), has launched its 2013 contest.

By supporting worker friendly candidates and issues at the federal, state, and local level, ABC helps workers and their families win the respect that they deserve on and off the job.

From increasing the minimum wage to improving workplace safety to fighting back against so-called “right to work” laws, ABC stands up for the issues that matter to UFCW members.

 Contest Details:

-Runs from Wednesday, May 1 through Tuesday, November 5, 2013.

-Participants will only be eligible to win with $1 a week sign-ups or upgrades.

-Two local union prizes will be awarded in each region (Each of the two winning locals will receive an award and 100 percent credit for one year to their ABC account for new revenue raised).

-Five prizes for Union Representatives will be awarded in each region (3 $1,000 AMEX gift cards, 2 iPads).

-All members who sign up at $1 a week or upgrade to $1 a week and those who currently contribute $1 or more per week and upgrade will be eligible to win one of four $500 AMEX gift cards per region.

Winners in Each Region Will Be as Follows:

-Local that signs up the most new members at $1 a week.

-Local that has the highest increase in ABC percentage of participation at $1 a week.

-Union Representative with a route size of 1,000-1,500 members that increases ABC participation at $1 a week by the greatest percentage ($1,000 AMEX gift card).

-Union Representative with a route size of 1,500-2,000 members that increases ABC participation at $1 a week by the greatest percentage ($1,000 AMEX gift card).

-Union Representative with a route size of 2,001+ members that increases ABC participation at $1 a week by the greatest percentage ($1,000 AMEX gift card).

-Union Representative with the second highest percentage increase in ABC participation at $1 a week (iPad).

-Union Representative with the third highest percentage increase in ABC participation at $1 a week (iPad).

For information on ABC, click here.