Actions and Events

Actions and Events

PriceRite workers, ShopRite workers, UFCW members, and supporters have rallied and spoken out to get a union for PriceRite workers. Some recent actions and events:

This Fourth of July, Workers Deserve the Freedom to
Choose a Union at PriceRite
Former PriceRite workers, community members, UFCW members and union supporters gathered at PriceRite stores in Mass., Conn., R.I., and New York to ask the company to allow workers the freedom to choose a union.

This Fourth of July, as communities and families celebrate America's independence, the former PriceRite workers said they hoped the company would live up to its claim to be "an American company" and respect workers' freedom.

A Letter to PriceRite Management
Employees and PriceRite customers were asked to sign a letter to PriceRite management asking the company to live up to its stated values. 

UFCW Members and Community Allies Rally on Behalf of PriceRite Worker Who Spoke out for Union 

Over 100 UFCW members and staff, workers and labor and community allies from across New England gathered in Providence, R.I., last week to support the Employee Free Choice Act and Joe Sorrentino—a worker at a Wakefern-owned PriceRite in North Providence, R.I. Locals 919, 371, 1445, 791, 1459 and 328 as well as the region office all came out in a show of solidarity.

According to charges filed by UFCW Local 328 with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Sorrentino has been punished for standing up for a union at
his workplace. Sorrentino and other PriceRite employees have been working to organize with the UFCW, but have faced a campaign of company harassment and intimidation.

“Joe Sorrentino bravely stood up for his rights…his subsequent demotion is a terrible injustice and sends a chilling message to workers that you will be punished for wanting to have a voice on the job,” said Mary Beth Maxwell, founding Executive Director of American Rights at Work (ARAW), in a statement of support from the organization. “American Rights at Work and our allies are even more emboldened to fight for swift passage of the Employee Free Choice Act to ensure Joe and workers everywhere have a free choice to join a union and a chance at a better life.”

Shortly after receiving national attention for speaking out on behalf of the Employee Free Choice Act at a press conference on January 13, Sorrentino was demoted—the kind of harassment by corporations against workers that the Employee Free Choice Act seeks to eliminate.

 “If the Employee Free Choice was already a law, my employer would not have been able to treat me like they did. I would have been able to speak out without fear of retaliation,” said Sorrentino at the event.

PriceRite Worker Speaks Out on Need for Employee Free Choice

 
On January 5th, a PriceRite worker involved in the UFCW’s PriceRite campaign spoke out about the need for Employee Free Choice at a press briefing held at the National Press Club. Representatives from the UFCW, as well as the nation’s top workers’ rights groups, labor experts, and progressive leaders laid out the case for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act. 

“The company has made people afraid that they’ll lose their jobs when the union comes in,” said PriceRite worker Joe Sorrentino. He spoke about how the company has intimidated workers who support the union, by telling them that their store will close if they vote for a union, spying on them, sending out letters and even calling the police to arrest organizers who are legally handing out literature to the public.

“We just want to the same fair chance to choose a union and have the same union benefits that workers at most ShopRite stores have,” said Sorrentino. “Instead, the company won’t even give us the chance to talk about the union. The Employee Free Choice Act would make it so the company couldn’t interfere with us or try to intimidate employees into voting against their own interests like they do now.”

Sorrentino emphasized the need for Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act. “To not pass Employee Free Choice,” he said, “would lead to another generation of low-paying jobs and uninsured Americans. The middle class would be a thing of the past.”

The event was organized by American Rights at Work, representing a broad coalition of labor and workers’ rights advocates, which also previewed new television ads as part of a nationwide $3 million ad campaign in support of the Employee Free Choice Act.

UFCW Locals and Jobs with Justice Rally in Rhode Island for Employee Free Choice and Good Jobs at PriceRite

UFCW Locals 328, 1459, 371, 919 and 1445 rallied along with Jobs with Justice in Rhode Island recently.

On December 18, the groups gathered to support workers at PriceRite stores who want to join a union, and to call for passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.    

The rally was intended to spread the message that the foundation of a strong economy is its workers, and that good union jobs are essential to rebuilding and expanding our shrinking middle class.

East Coast Locals Come Together with Workers and Community at Campaign Kickoff Rally to Organize PriceRite

On November 7th, UFCW Locals 1445, 328, 371, 919, 1459, 464A, 348S, 1500, 1262, and 791 brought members, along with PriceRite grocery workers and labor allies like Jobs with Justice, Teamsters, AFSCME, SEIU, and others to a Providence PriceRite store on 325 Valley St, kicking off the campaign for a union at PriceRite.  

Over a hundred workers and staff handed out flyers to customers and talked to them about the need for good union jobs, especially in this troubled economy.

“If we can improve jobs at PriceRite, it will help working families and make our middle class stronger,” says PriceRite employee Charles Heirsch. “That’s why we need a union at PriceRite.”

East Coast UFCW locals are reaching out to customers at other PriceRite and ShopRite stores as well. Look for flyers at a store near you!