Decent Quality of life
- Living Wage- Earning a living wage is essential. However, many Americans are stuck in low-paying jobs that don’t compensate families enough to even put enough food on the table. UFCW was an early supporter of Senator Harkin and Representative Miller’s legislation to increase the national minimum wage to $9.80/hour, the “Fair Minimum Wage Act” (S3453/HR6211) and continues to actively bargain for wages that workers can sustain themselves with.
- Workplace Safety- The UFCW has consistently challenged not only our employers to hold high safety standards, but the government agencies responsible for enforcing our health and safety laws.
- UFCW is leading the effort to demand sufficient data on the health impact of increased line speeds in poultry plants on workers.
- As a result of pressure from UFCW, the USDA made plants that want to participate in the Salmonella Initiative Project provide access to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for the purpose of gathering worker safety data.
- While OSHA exists to protect workers, there are major gaps and weaknesses in job safety laws and even larger gaps in the practical application of them. We continue to push for better OSHA regulations, including advocating on behalf of workers to move the combustible dust rule into the implementation phase.
- Fought efforts to lower wage standards for H-2B guest workers
Dignified Retirement
Recent News
October 15, 2013 Local 770 dispensary workers at two medical cannabis dispensaries are celebrating the ratification of their first union contract. Workers at Greenhouse Herbal Center and LA Wonderland-Hot Zone in Los Angeles have negotiated contracts that will raise standards at their dispensaries while ensuring that the dispensaries adhere to labor laws and industry standards. Workers view this […] October 10, 2013 Houston, Texas – Over 250 Maximus Coffee Group workers in Houston, a majority of who are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) Local 455, went on strike this morning to protest the company’s plan to reduce wages from 25 to 50 percent per hour, reduce retirement benefits, increase insurance premiums, […] October 9, 2013 Washington, DC—Four UFCW activists were among those arrested yesterday outside the U.S. Capitol while protesting the failure of House Republican leaders to pass comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. The march, which included tens of thousands of people from across the country, followed over 180 similar actions in 40 states this weekend. “Today […] October 7, 2013 Zeynep Ton, an adjunct associate professor at the M.I.T. Sloan School of Management, recently spoke at a TEDx event in Cambridge, Mass., and delivered a provocative analysis of the economic advantages retailers can achieve by investing in their workforce. Drawing on a decade of research, Ton maintains that retailers such as Costco that invest in […] October 2, 2013 UFCW Locals 21, 367, and Teamsters Local 38 sent a strong message of solidarity to Fred Meyer, Safeway, QFC, and Albertsons last week when they voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The 98 percent strike authorization vote is the workers’ latest step in their fight for fair treatment, pay, and benefits. Contract negotiations will continue […] September 27, 2013 Earlier this month, with support from UFCW locals across the Golden State, California’s legislature voted to increase the state’s minimum wage to $10 per hour. This week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law. This means that California will soon have the highest minimum wage in the country. California’s minimum wage had been […] September 26, 2013 Since May, hundreds of workers at Los Angeles area CVS stores have stood together and joined UFCW Local 770, bringing the total number of newly unionized CVS stores to 50 and more than doubling the number of new stores under contract. These workers join more than 8,000 CVS workers in 11 states and the District […] September 26, 2013 Will you be in the DC area on October 3rd? Then you should definitely take the opportunity to stop by the AFL-CIO headquarters for a great book-club event! The featured book and discussion with the author will be about Don’t Buy It: The Trouble with Talking Nonsense About the Economy, by Anat Shenker-Osorio. In her […] September 19, 2013 New data released this week underscore the fact that smaller numbers of unionized workers mean less bargaining power, a weakened middle class and lower wages for everyone. On Tuesday, the U.S. Census Bureau released its annual report on incomes and poverty. According to the report, the median household income in the U.S. in 2012 was […] September 19, 2013 Last week, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray vetoed the Large Retailer Accountability Act (LRAA) which would have required big box retailers to pay a $12.50 per hour minimum wage. D.C. residents from neighborhoods throughout the city took their calls for fair wages and good jobs to the D.C. City Council today in light of the […]Dispensary Workers Sign First Contract
Maximus Coffee Workers Strike in Houston to Protest Company’s Plan to Slash Benefits
UFCW Activists Arrested at Massive Immigration March
M.I.T. Professor Advocates for Better Jobs for Retail Workers
Grocery workers at UFCW Locals 21 and 367 Send Strong Message to Companies with Strike Vote
UFCW Locals Help Push California’s Minimum Wage to Highest in the Nation
Hundreds of CVS Workers in California Join UFCW Local 770
Talking About the Economy: How We Can Drive Change
New Data Link Decline of Middle Class to the Decline in Union Membership
OUR Walmart Members and Community Allies Support Living Wage Bill