America’s Largest Private Sector Union Praises White House Action to Level Playing Field for American Workers in Food, Pharmacy, Healthcare Industries
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International, the union for 1.3 million workers in food, healthcare, pharmacy, and other key industries, applauded President Biden’s new executive order which supports American workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UFCW International President Marc Perrone will join President Biden at the White House for today’s executive order signing and praised the action as a strong step to support American workers and Made in USA food products that are essential to millions of American families nationwide.
UFCW International President Marc Perrone released the following statement:
“President Biden’s executive order sends a clear message that this White House is committed to creating a level playing field for American workers.
“American’s healthcare and pharmacy workers have been on the frontlines helping millions to get the care and medicine they need throughout the pandemic. Today’s executive action lowers barriers to entry for healthcare and pharmacy jobs, helping more Americans pursue these good careers and closing the healthcare access gaps that have plagued so many communities across the country.
“Meatpacking workers have been among the hardest hit by COVID-19 and today’s action puts workers and consumers first by strengthening oversight of meatpacking monopolies that suppress wages and drive up food prices at the grocery store. With stronger country of origin labeling for food, this executive order supports American jobs and protects the right of consumers to know where their food is from, whether it’s safe, and if it’s produced by American workers.
“As the president of America’s largest private sector union, I will be proud to stand with President Biden today at the White House as he signs this executive order and delivers on the promise he made to support so many of America’s brave frontline workers.”
BACKGROUND:
UFCW praised key components of President Biden’s Executive Order supporting American workers, including provisions that would:
- Ban Non-Compete Clauses to support worker freedom to seek out the best job in their career field to support them and their families
- Create Rules to Address Unnecessary License Requirements to remove barriers stopping workers from entering fast-growing fields like healthcare and long-term care.
- Limit Employer Wage Data Sharing to crack down on companies trying to suppress worker pay within their industry
- Increase Scrutiny of Meatpacking Industry Concentration by establishing a council on competition rulemaking addressing market power of meatpacking and livestock firms.
- Strengthen Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) to support American-made products in industries such as agriculture, meatpacking, and food processing, which supports American food industry jobs, and ensures consumers know where their food is from, whether it’s safe, and if it’s produced by American workers.
Click here to read more about President Biden’s executive order supporting American workers.
COVID NUMBERS: UFCW recently confirmed that COVID-19 continues to threaten essential workers across the country. Between March 1 and May 13, UFCW reported a nearly 35 percent increase in grocery worker deaths and a nearly 30 percent increase in grocery workers infected or exposedfollowing supermarket outbreaks at Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joe’s and other chains across the country.According to new UFCW estimates, among the union’s members nationwide, there have already been at least:
- 482 frontline worker deaths and at least 96,600 frontline workers infected or exposed
- 197 grocery worker deaths and at least 43,300 grocery workers infected or exposed
- 132 meatpacking worker deaths and 22,400 meatpacking workers infected or exposed
- 67 food processing worker deaths and 13,100 food processing workers infected or exposed
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UFCW is the largest private sector union in the United States. UFCW International represents 1.3 million professionals and their families in healthcare, grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries. Our members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org.