February 27, 2015

UFCW Members Rally Against Right to Work in Wisconsin

With protesters both inside and outside the Capitol, the Wisconsin State Senate rammed through “right to work” legislation last week under special rules that limited debate and public input. UFCW members were among the thousands in Madison who rallied, met with state senators, and gave testimony to the committee considering the bill.

Miguel Perez, a UFCW Local 1473 member who works at Klements Sausage in Milwaukee, felt that passing “right to work” would move Wisconsin the wrong direction.

“I don’t want to see this law passed because it will make life more difficult,” said Perez. “We work hard to earn fair wages and benefits and this law just makes it harder to achieve that.”

Many UFCW members were inspired by the strong display of solidarity throughout the Capitol.

“The scene today has been indescribable to me,” said UFCW Local 1473 member Lori Wood who works at Pick ‘n Save in Kenosha. “The camaraderie between so many Wisconsinites has been great. I don’t feel like people should be able to come into the workplace, not pay their fair share, and enjoy the same protections, wages, and benefits that we fight so hard for. It’s inherently unfair. I want to see the legislature create good jobs and this law just brings bad ones.”

Joseph Mikich, a UFCW Local 1473 member who works at Wisconsin Vision, felt personally attacked.

“This is a direct attack on my wages and benefits,” said Mikich. “I’ve worked at a number of non-union stores. My current union job blows all of those out of the water. I make more, I get raises, I have better benefits, and I’m trained so that I can climb up the ladder. I’m scared all these opportunities I’ve enjoyed are going to be taken away.”

For many, the climb back up from the depths of the Great Recession has been slow and hard. There is widespread worry that “right to work” would push people back down.

“What concerns me most about right to work is our economy,” said UFCW Local 1473 member Valerie Truman who works at Birds Eye. “If people can’t be paid what they deserve I don’t see how our state can stay strong. We want a brighter future. The rally today was so loving and supportive because everyone here is being honest about their concerns. It’s a necessity that this bill doesn’t pass. We deserve good laws, not laws that will hurt us.”

One of the major highlights of the day was seeing 5-year UFCW Local 1473 member Tyrone Sutton, who works at Fair Oaks Farms in Kenosha, address the crowd from the Capitol steps.

“This law directly attacks working people all across Wisconsin,” he said. “These politicians are stripping us of our stability. It’s like kicking a chair under our feet. The benefits we have earned by sticking together shouldn’t be taken away. The stakes are too high. We will not back down.”

February 27, 2015

UFCW Members Fight Right to Work in West Virginia

Last Wednesday, more than 100 members from UFCW Locals 23 and 400 met with state senators and delegates from both parties to explain how devastating a right to work law would be to West Virginia’s working families. Like too many other states, West Virginia is considering unfair right to work legislation.

“We are lobbying today to put a stop to this anti-worker legislation,” said Richard Ruth, a UFCW Local 23 member who works at Kroger in Weirton, West Virginia. “I explained to every legislator I spoke with that this law will hurt workers, including myself. Thanks in large part to being part of a union, I’ve earned a decent living my entire career and this law will just take away everything I’ve gained over the years. I wish they would focus on creating good paying jobs. This law just attracts low-wage, minimum wage jobs. We want and deserve better than that.”

Tim Cyrus, a UFCW Local 400 member who works at Kroger in Hinton, West Virginia, was frustrated that state legislators were not spending time on more important issues.

“It’s insulting that they only meet for 60 days and they choose to pursue a law that has been proven to lower wages,” he said. “Just look next door at Virginia; people there are making less money for the same work we do. That’s not fair. I would like to see them pass laws to help our struggling schools. This right to work bill is just a complete waste of time.”

Tami Faulknier, a UFCW Local 400 member who has worked at Kroger in Dunbar, West Virginia, for 30 years, spoke to legislators about the stability that comes to working families when they have the security of a union.

“I’m concerned that we’re going to pass right to work and take our state backwards,” said Faulknier. “Right to work will erode our bargaining power and make it harder to earn the raises and benefits that we deserve. Sticking together has helped so many workers in West Virginia; it’s wrong to attack them. Working people deserve better, and right to work would only leave them worse off.”

UFCW members left the Capitol feeling proud of the impact they made.

“Being here today was important because we, the working families, are the backbone of the middle class,” said Alesia Brogdon, a UFCW Local 23 member who works at Kroger in Weirton, West Virginia. “West Virginia can’t be strong unless we’re strong too. What needs to happen is simple; businesses need to provide a living wage with fair benefits. Right to work makes it more difficult to earn a living wage. It’s a completely unfair law that does nothing to help the average person.”

February 19, 2015

UFCW Members Celebrate Defeated Kentucky Right to Work Legislation

Members of UFCW Local 227 crowd the committee meeting room as they discuss “right to work”.

Last week, in front of a standing room only crowd filled with UFCW members in gold, a Kentucky House committee defeated right to work legislation. A great deal of work from UFCW members in Kentucky went into this victory.

For weeks, UFCW members have traveled to Frankfort to speak with their legislators and educate them about the pain a right to work law would bring to working families in Kentucky. Just before the right to work measure failed, Caitlin Lally from UFCW Local 227 gave an impactful testimony to the committee.

“There are hundreds of thousands of workers all across Kentucky looking to this committee to do the right thing,” said Lally. “Let’s pursue an agenda to make Kentucky stronger. Let’s continue to build a state where businesses grow, workers succeed, and families thrive. Let’s resist the influence of outsiders and come together in the proudest traditions of our state. Let’s defeat right to work.”

With right to work laws currently being proposed in numerous state legislatures, this victory in Kentucky should not go unnoticed. Workers need more money in their pockets, but people in right to work states earn $5,000 less per year. Workers want to send their children to successful schools, but right to work states spend 31.3 percent less per pupil on education. Workers deserve to feel safe at work, but right to work states have a workplace death rate that is over 54 percent higher.

This win in Kentucky shows that workers who stick together, whether it’s inside their workplace or the State Capitol, can shape a better future for themselves and their families.

February 19, 2015

UFCW Local 1564 Members Fight to Defeat Right to Work in New Mexico

Members of UFCW Local 1564 traveled to the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe.

On February 12, nearly 100 members of UFCW Local 1564 traveled to the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe to lobby their legislators against right to work legislation. During meetings with key senators, UFCW members made the case that right to work would have a severely negative impact on New Mexico.

“Right to work would allow companies to lower wages,” said UFCW Local 1564 member Andre Leger, who works at Smith’s. “It’s an attack on workers who are already struggling to make ends meet.”

Annette and Mark Ayers, along with their adult daughter, all work at Smith’s and are all members of UFCW Local 1564. “Workers need to have a say in their own future,” Mark said. “That is why we are here.” “We work at a lower rate than the rest of the country and right to work would make wages even lower,” said Annette. “Our state simply cannot afford that.” Annette added: “We have a single daughter who works for Smith’s. She’s able to pay for her own apartment, afford a car, and get the basics in life. If right to work passed, she’d be living in our house.”

Several members talked about the importance of the UFCW being represented in the halls of the Captiol. “If you don’t say anything about how you feel, you almost always lose,” said UFCW Local 1564 member Alek Dewispeleare, who works at Smith’s. Fellow UFCW Local 1564 member and Smith’s worker Mark Sokolowski agreed: “I’ve been a union member for over 30 years,” he said. “No one forced me to join. I’ve been able to support my family. I won’t stand by and let career politicians take that away.”

Annette Ayers talked about the emotion of the Lobby Day. “When my senator told me he was against right to work, my eyes filled with tears,” she said. “It gives you hope that there are people truly working for you.”

February 17, 2015

Black History Month: 50th Anniversary of the Immigration and Nationality Act

Fifty years ago at the height of the civil rights movement, our country’s immigration policy was radically changed. The Immigration and Nationality Act, also known as the Hart-Celler Act, abolished the national origins quota system which favored some Europeans and excluded Asians and Africans and established a new immigration system that focused on attracting skilled labor to the United States and reuniting immigrants with their families.

The 1965 law, which opened the door to immigrants from Asia, Africa and Latin America and changed the demographic makeup of our country, was signed by President Johnson at the foot of the Statue of Liberty on October 3, 1965. An excerpt from President Johnson’s speech is as follows:

This bill says simply that from this day forth those wishing to immigrate to America shall be admitted on the basis of their skills and their close relationship to those already here.

This is a simple test, and it is a fair test. Those who can contribute most to this country–to its growth, to its strength, to its spirit–will be the first that are admitted to this land.

The fairness of this standard is so self-evident that we may well wonder that it has not always been applied. Yet the fact is that for over four decades the immigration policy of the United States has been twisted and has been distorted by the harsh injustice of the national origins quota system.

Under that system the ability of new immigrants to come to America depended upon the country of their birth. Only 3 countries were allowed to supply 70 percent of all the immigrants.

Families were kept apart because a husband or a wife or a child had been born in the wrong place.

Men of needed skill and talent were denied entrance because they came from southern or eastern Europe or from one of the developing continents.

This system violated the basic principle of American democracy–the principle that values and rewards each man on the basis of his merit as a man.

It has been un-American in the highest sense, because it has been untrue to the faith that brought thousands to these shores even before we were a country.

Today, with my signature, this system is abolished.

Today, the fight to create a fair and just immigration policy and make our country a more open place continues. It’s time to reform our country’s immigration system and create a clear and fair path to citizenship for aspiring Americans so that they can live and work without fear.