Tagged as Change to Win

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Corporate Responsibility, Economic Justice, Health Care, Press Releases, Retail, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values, Walmart

UFCW President Joe Hansen New Chair of Change to Win

Sep 30, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC — The Change to Win (CtW) Leadership Council elected Joe Hansen, United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) President, as its new Chair. Hansen replaces Anna Burger who earlier had announced her retirement from CtW where she served as Chair.   Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa was elected CtW Secretary-Treasurer.

Change to Win unions, the UFCW, SEIU, the Teamsters and Farm Workers represent millions of private-sector unionized workforces in the U.S. Change to Win members work in the fastest growing industries in the country in service-sector jobs, including transportation, health care, food production and retail, among others.

The following is a statement from Joe Hansen:

“Change to Win is focused on ensuring that workers in the various service sectors have jobs with wages and benefits that can support a family. If these jobs are vital to the American economy, then service sector jobs should come with middle class wages and benefits.

“We know that a stronger labor movement is essential to the rebuilding of America’s middle class and that will be the primary focus of our work at Change to Win.

“”We will continue our strategic work building strength for workers in our core industries.

“We will continue our advocacy on key public policy issues, including labor law, pension, and comprehensive immigration reform, food safety and health care. We are also committed to working with the Administration to ensure that the purchasing power of the federal government exercises wise stewardship of taxpayer money by promoting quality, family-supporting jobs.

“We will continue close coordination with our labor partners at the AFL-CIO on public policy issues. Both labor Federations share unity of purpose to address the crisis facing American workers.

Change to Win and the AFL-CIO will work together to make sure that candidates that support working families win in November.

The Change to Win unions are more inspired than ever to stand up for workers’ rights and make the economy grow again for working families through good jobs in every community.”"

James P. Hoffa, General President of the Teamsters stated: “”The United States is the first country where a majority of its citizens joined the middle class. Labor unions created that middle class. No country in the world has ever had a strong middle class without a strong labor movement. And like all social movements, the labor movement was born fighting. Our work is far from over today, and Joe Hansen is the kind of leader we need in our fight to strengthen America’s working families.”

Said SEIU President Mary Kay Henry: “”Joe Hansen’s determination to make sure that 5,000 Smithfield workers had the chance to vote for the union after 16 years is exactly the leadership we need to rededicate Change to Win to lifting wages for millions of private sector workers.”"

UFW President Arturo S. Rodriguez said: “”I want to congratulate Joe on his new position, there is no doubt in my mind that he is the right person to move the organization forward. I’m sure that he will continue to ensure that Change To Win leads the way in developing new strategies, new programs and new efforts to effectively organize workers in the private sector.”"

Corporate Responsibility, Economic Justice, Press Releases, Retail Food, UFCW Industries, UFCW Values

LARRY JOHNSTON TAKES MONEY AND RUNS, LEAVING WORKERS IN THE LURCH

Jun 08, 2006

(Washington, DC) – Albertsons Supermarket CEO Larry Johnston and his management team ran the national grocery chain into the ground and then sold off the remains–crippling communities and leaving workers’ lives in turmoil in the process.   They deserve to suffer the same fate as the workers they’ve put out of jobs.  So why are they receiving multimillion dollar compensation packages?

Apparently, it’s the American way.   After all, it’s not just Albertsons—CEO pay is skyrocketing across all industries. In 1960, the average CEO made 41 times more than the average worker.  By 2004, the average CEO was making 431 times that of the average worker! And much of this money goes to CEOs whose poor performance is driving their companies, and their workers, into financial ruin.

The $17.7 billion sale of Albertsons to Minnesota grocer SuperValu, drug store chain CVS Corp. and a group of private investors led by Cerberus Capital Management, is the latest example of corporate greed gone haywire.   The deal provides multimillion dollar “golden parachute” packages to the former Albertsons’ executives.  In addition to CEO Larry Johnston, four other former executives received eight-figure compensation packages.

A “golden parachute” is a term for the clause in executives’ contracts that provide special compensation packages in case they lose their employment through an acquisition or a merger.   The Albertsons board approved the compensation packages, and has repeatedly refused to discuss the details of executive compensation.

And while Albertsons’ former executives coast on their golden parachutes, their workers are being put out of work.   On Tuesday, Albertsons announced that it is closing 37 stores in Northern California — about one-fifth of its total Northern California stores.

Workers are being left out in the cold while Larry Johnston and his cohorts enjoy their multi-million dollar reward packages:

  • Johnston, Albertsons’ president, chairman and chief executive officer: $105.5 million.
  • Robert Dunst, executive vice president of technology and supply chain and the chief technology officer: $16.1 million.
  • Paul Gannon, executive vice president for marketing and food operations: $15.5 million.
  • John Sims, executive vice president and general counsel: $15.2 million.
  • Felicia Thornton, executive vice president and chief financial officer: $17.2 million.

Albertsons first agreed to sell the company to Supervalu, CVS, and the investor realty group in January.  Albertsons operates around 2500 stores in 37 states, and employs about 86,200 UFCW members in its various stores who will be affected by the sale.

“Is this the kind America we want – one that rewards CEOs for doing a bad job and leaving workers foot the bill? Albertsons workers deserve better.  We will continue to fight to protect supermarket workers from corporate greed run amok,” said UFCW International President Joe Hansen.

The UFCW is America’s neighborhood union, representing 1.4 million members in the supermarket, food processing, meatpacking and other industries.  UFCW is a member of the Change to Win Federation of unions.

Community Partnerships, Economic Justice, Press Releases, Social Justice, UFCW Values

Jul 26, 2005

Chicago, Ill.—The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), along with three Change to Win coalition partners—the Service Workers, UNITE/HERE, and Teamsters—will not participate in the AFL-CIO Convention that begins tomorrow.

We are taking this historic step with our coalition partners to build a 21st century worker movement for a new generation of workers. Unions built the American middle class. We are taking this action to revitalize the labor movement to build worker power.

Unrestrained corporate power has set in motion a global race to the bottom—a race dedicated to widening the gap of inequality—eroding basic wages—eroding labor and social standards—and limiting basic democratic participation.

Our unions are changing now to win worker power in the workplace, the community, and the political process.

The Change to Win Coalition is taking the lead to engage and organize workers—and build a worker movement to raise living standards, win health care and pension security, and make government responsive to working people.

Working people can’t win a better life unless more workers belong to unions.

The world is a different place than it was a generation ago. Change to Win partners are changing to meet this new dynamic.

Our vision is clear. Our resolve is firm. The time is now to bring new hope to working families.