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News and Updates
April 15, 2015
Why President Obama’s Trade Agenda Just Turned Into A Food Fight
The following article was published in Vox.
The president’s trade agenda just became a food fight.
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) dealt another blow to President Obama’s hopes of sealing new trade deals today, calling for the defeat of fast-track legislation and the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact — threatening to punish lawmakers who back them — in an op-ed in the Capitol Hill newspaper the Hill.
With other unions also unhappy with Obama’s trade plans, UFCW’s decision to fight so aggressively matters for two reasons.
First, UFCW hasn’t opposed all trade deals in the past. As the group’s chief, Marc Perrone, points out in the op-ed, the union supported the US-Korea free-trade agreement — at a time when major labor groups were divided on it.
So UFCW’s defection signals an erosion of Obama’s trade coalition. Obama knows he’s facing an uphill battle on trade, and UFCW just stood its 1.3-million-member army on the high ground above him.
Second: money, money, money. The UFCW ranks among the top direct givers to Democratic House and Senate candidates, having doled out a little more than $1.7 million from its political action committee in the last election cycle — even more than the politically vaunted Teamsters — according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
“Given all that we know, how any elected official, Democrat or Republican, can support TPP is inexplicable,” Perrone wrote, before alluding in no uncertain terms to the union’s treasury. “Make no mistake, we, and all of America’s hard-working men and women, will be watching whether or not our elected representatives do what is right for our families.”
Utah Republican Orrin Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said this week that Congress would likely begin work on the fast-track legislation — the predicate for TPP and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (known as TTIP) — in the next several weeks.
Perrone and his union aim to stop it in its tracks.
“While a bipartisan chorus will sing the praises of this trade deal, they choose to ignore the truth that it is America’s working men and women, not them, who will pay the price as irresponsible corporations justify future cuts to wages, hours, and jobs — all in the name of ‘international competition,'” he wrote.
April 15, 2015
Trans-Pacific Partnership Will Harm Middle and Working Class Americans
The following op-ed by President Marc Perrone was published in The Hill.
Four years ago, after careful consideration, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) decided to endorse the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement, making us one of the only labor unions to do so. We viewed the Korea deal—which had improved labor standards and was estimated to create over 20,000 jobs in the meat sector, as a small, but not insignificant, step forward on global trade policy. As the union that represents hundreds of thousands of meatpacking and food processing workers, we support fair trade agreements that open up new markets to sell UFCW-made products abroad.
This time it’s different. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is not the Korea free trade agreement. It is neither free nor fair. And the UFCW is determined to see it defeated.
The truth is as we’ve heard during past trade debates, many Republicans and even some Democrats, repeatedly say that the TPP won’t hurt families or communities, or devastate industries, unions, or the middle and working classes.
America’s families know from experience the brutal reality will be quite different.
Over the last three decades, in large part because of bad trade deals, Americans have worked harder than ever, while wages remain stagnant. Income and economic inequality has grown to historically high levels. Industry consolidation, fueled by unchecked global competition, has led to countless jobs being lost. Good union jobs have been decimated across nearly every state and replaced by either no job, or non-union jobs that barely pay above minimum wage.
As for the TPP, while a bipartisan chorus will sing the praises of this trade deal, they choose to ignore the truth that it is America’s working men and women, not them, who will pay the price as irresponsible corporations justify future cuts to wages, hours, and jobs–all in the name of “international competition.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, the TPP goes even further by rolling back regulations that could be construed as a “barrier to trade,” which includes environmental, consumer, and labor protections. And, if there were any remaining doubts, this massive trade deal, which will impact tens of millions of American jobs, has been put together in secret, with the advice and counsel of hundreds of corporate special interests with absolutely no input from labor or other groups that fight on behalf of the working and middle classes.
Given all that we know, how any elected official, Democrat or Republican, can support the TPP is inexplicable.
So, on behalf of the 1.3 million hard-working men and women of the UFCW, we are calling on every member of Congress to oppose the TPP and the fast-track legislation that would make it possible to pass the TPP.
Let me be very clear, no elected official, regardless of political party, who is truly interested in making the economy better and fairer, can responsibly support the TPP. Simply put, this trade deal, like so many others, is bad for our workers, families, and shared future.
In the end, while we may not be able to change every mind, we will remember those elected officials who stood with America’s workers by voting for jobs and against another destructive trade deal. More to the point, we join with the AFL-CIO and other unions that refuse to support any member of Congress that decides to put narrow self-interests above the interests of hard-working families.
Marc Perrone is International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
April 15, 2015
UFCW Announces Strong Opposition to Fast Track and the TPP
President Perrone calls for bipartisan opposition and says largest private sector union in the nation “will remember those elected officials who stood with America’s workers”
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today penned an op-ed in The Hill announcing his strong opposition to fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The UFCW supported the last major trade agreement with Korea because of its improved labor standards and potential to create 20,000 jobs in the meat sector. But in his op-ed, Perrone makes clear that this time is different.
“The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is not the Korea free trade agreement,” he writes. “It is neither free nor fair. And the UFCW is determined to see it defeated.”
In the piece, Perrone ties unfair 
trade deals directly to the declining standard of living for hard-working families. “Income and economic inequality has grown to historically high levels,” he writes. “Industry consolidation, fueled by unchecked global competition, has led to countless jobs being lost. Good union jobs have been decimated across nearly every state and replaced by either no job, or non-union jobs that barely pay above minimum wage.”
Perrone is also strongly critical of the TPP’s provisions to roll back labor, consumer, and environmental protections and the fact that it is being put together “with the advice and counsel of hundreds of corporate special interests with absolutely no input from labor or other groups that fight on behalf of the working and middle classes.”
“Given all that we know, how any elected official, Democrat or Republican, can support TPP is inexplicable,” he writes.
Perrone issues a warning to both political parties, calling on every member of Congress to oppose the TPP and the fast-track legislation that would make it possible to pass the TPP.
“In the end, while we may not be able to change every mind, we will remember those elected officials who stood with America’s workers by voting for jobs and against another destructive trade deal,” he writes. “More to the point, we join with the AFL-CIO and other unions that refuse to support any member of Congress that decides to put narrow self-interests above the interests of hard-working families.”
The full op-ed is linked here and pasted below.
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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online at www.ufcw.org
We are 1.3 million families standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family deserves.
www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational @UFCW
April 15, 2015, 02:00 pm
Trans-Pacific Partnership will harm middle and working class Americans
By Marc Perrone
Four years ago, after careful consideration, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) decided to endorse the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement, making us one of the only labor unions to do so. We viewed the Korea deal—which had improved labor standards and was estimated to create over 20,000 jobs in the meat sector, as a small, but not insignificant, step forward on global trade policy. As the union that represents hundreds of thousands of meatpacking and food processing workers, we support fair trade agreements that open up new markets to sell UFCW-made products abroad.
This time it’s different. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is not the Korea free trade agreement. It is neither free nor fair. And the UFCW is determined to see it defeated.
The truth is as we’ve heard during past trade debates, many Republicans and even some Democrats, repeatedly say that the TPP won’t hurt families or communities, or devastate industries, unions, or the middle and working classes.
America’s families know from experience the brutal reality will be quite different.
Over the last three decades, in large part because of bad trade deals, Americans have worked harder than ever, while wages remain stagnant. Income and economic inequality has grown to historically high levels. Industry consolidation, fueled by unchecked global competition, has led to countless jobs being lost. Good union jobs have been decimated across nearly every state and replaced by either no job, or non-union jobs that barely pay above minimum wage.
As for the TPP, while a bipartisan chorus will sing the praises of this trade deal, they choose to ignore the truth that it is America’s working men and women, not them, who will pay the price as irresponsible corporations justify future cuts to wages, hours, and jobs–all in the name of “international competition.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, the TPP goes even further by rolling back regulations that could be construed as a “barrier to trade,” which includes environmental, consumer, and labor protections. And, if there were any remaining doubts, this massive trade deal, which will impact tens of millions of American jobs, has been put together in secret, with the advice and counsel of hundreds of corporate special interests with absolutely no input from labor or other groups that fight on behalf of the working and middle classes.
Given all that we know, how any elected official, Democrat or Republican, can support the TPP is inexplicable.
So, on behalf of the 1.3 million hard-working men and women of the UFCW, we are calling on every member of Congress to oppose the TPP and the fast-track legislation that would make it possible to pass the TPP.
Let me be very clear, no elected official, regardless of political party, who is truly interested in making the economy better and fairer, can responsibly support the TPP. Simply put, this trade deal, like so many others, is bad for our workers, families, and shared future.
In the end, while we may not be able to change every mind, we will remember those elected officials who stood with America’s workers by voting for jobs and against another destructive trade deal. More to the point, we join with the AFL-CIO and other unions that refuse to support any member of Congress that decides to put narrow self-interests above the interests of hard-working families.
Marc Perrone is International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).
April 9, 2015
Union Plus Benefits for UFCW Members
We all know that there are countless benefits to being a union member and the difference having a union voice makes. And there’s another benefit for union workers: the UFCW Credit Card.
The UFCW is endorsing this credit card program because it has been specially designed to meet the needs of hard-working UFCW members and their families. With this card, members can enjoy exclusive savings and rebates on useful products and services.
The UFCW Credit Card program offers many options for UFCW members and their families. Cardholders will have access to special benefit offers just for union members*, such as:
- Rebates on auto down payments
- Cash back when they purchase AT&T smartphones
- Exclusive motor club benefits with 24-hour roadside assistance
- Special grants to help pay off student debt
- Discounts on computers and other tech products
Show your union pride while saving as you shop!
*Terms apply. Please visit UFCWCard.com.
The UFCW Credit Card is issued by Capital One N.A. pursuant to a license by MasterCard International Incorporated.
April 2, 2015
UFCW Local 655 Hosts Diversity Training for Local Leaders
UFCW Local 655 members and staff in Saint Louis, Mo., attended the first Equity and Inclusion Diversity Leadership Training put together by the UFCW Civil Rights and Community Action Department. Over the course of two and a half days, about a dozen UFCW Local 655 leaders from a variety of backgrounds participated in the first session of the three-part diversity training series. The training was developed to help increase staff and members’ knowledge and awareness of diversity issues and elevate the importance of inclusiveness in local unions. The program focuses on local union leaders developing cultural competence with a new set of attitudes, skills, and behaviors in order to have themselves and their organizations work effectively in cross-cultural situations and workplace diversity. Ultimately, the trainings are designed to empower participants to take action and help steer their local union to develop and promote organizational equity and focus on fairness in order to create change in a local union’s culture.
“Stepping outside of my comfort zone may be uncomfortable, but it can be a stepping stone for my future responsibilities as a leader in my local union. Thanks to the diversity training, I am ready to go back to work and start taking action to build relationships with other members to empower us to stand united for justice and equality in our union and in our communities,” said UFCW Local 655 member Amy Nichols.
UFCW Local 655 hosted their diversity training for local union leaders in response to the recent events in Ferguson, Mo., and the impact that the Ferguson events have had on the labor movement in the state. The first session in the diversity training is titled “Why Diversity Matters.” During this session, participants were involved in an open dialogue about the origin of racism, and the history of racial inequality and its roots in economic injustice. They examined different identities and how they relate to people in the workplace and society. Participants discussed the ways people experience or observe different forms of discrimination at work and in the community. They also learned about what being an ally and having solidarity means in a labor context.
“We need to have the difficult conversations with our coworkers, members, and the community about why this fight for equality is so important. We need to take the conversations from the trainings out to our workplaces and communities if we want to start taking real action to create change and an environment of inclusiveness,” said UFCW Local 655 staffer Theresa Hester.
During the first session, participants were later joined by young activists from Missouri, who are fighting for social and economic justice in Ferguson and throughout the state. Participants will follow up the training with recruiting members and coworkers for the April 15 Workers’ Day of Action activities.
“In today’s America where we are more diverse as a country than ever, it is incumbent on current labor to develop future leaders that act and look like our society. If our current labor leaders do not provide the needed training to a young diverse workforce our labor leaders tomorrow will not reflect the make-up of our society. On a broader spectrum, I would hope all leaders not just labor leaders would be training for a more diverse leadership team in the future. I believe the best possibility to end the wealth disparity in America is to have diverse leaders in the future and the only way to achieve this is to provide leadership training today to a diverse group of workers,” said UFCW Local 655 President Dave Cook.
“The training for new UFCW leaders is critical at this juncture of the union movement. Union leaders will need to have new skills to recruit and engage members in a changing workforce demographic. I’m encouraged to see union leaders such as UFCW Local 655 President Dave Cook, taking the initiative to embrace this challenge of diversity and racial equity and getting leaders in the local involved. Unions must take on the dual fight against the various “isms” both inside and outside the union. Unions are a critical part of the social justice movement that’s building power for all workers,” said Jamala Rogers, one of the diversity program trainers, a retired teacher and member of AFT.
UFCW Local 655 will complete the other two parts of the diversity program in the coming months. The second session will be “Race and Politics,” which will take place in July, and the third session “New Generation Diversity: I Am Today’s Leader,” will take place in November.
To see some great discussion and other highlights from this training session, click here.
To learn more about the diversity trainings and hosting a training at your local, contact the UFCW Civil Rights and Community Action Department at civilrights@ufcw.org.
April 2, 2015
Seattle UFCW Local 21 Member Helps to Kick-off “Lead on Leave” White House Tour
Calls On Washington State Senate & Federal Government to Enact Paid Leave Laws
UFCW Local 21 member Ariana Davis with Secretary of Labor Tom Perez
Seattle, WA –Today, Ariana Davis, a member of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 21, was featured at the kickoff event of the “Lead on Leave – Empowering Working Families Across America Tour” hosted by Secretary of Labor Tom Perez. The roundtable discussion was the first stop of a national tour by the White House to highlight the importance of enacting a paid leave law that will ensure all working and middle class families have the opportunity to deal with a sickness or spend time with their children and family members during times of illness or other critical life moments.
Ms. Davis joined a diverse group of local employers, workers, and community groups to discuss the demands of family and the importance of enacting state and federal paid leave laws.
“No one in America should have to choose between their health, their family and their job,” said Davis. “On a bad week, when we’re sick, we can’t afford to take unpaid time off so we get some Kleenex, drag ourselves out of bed, and come to work. This is unhealthy for coworkers, customers, and the communities we live in. Paid leave will help us all deal with these difficult moments and improve our ability to do our jobs. Passing laws like this are essential to making life better for every hard working family in America.”
As a young, female, LGBT person of color within the labor movement, Davis has proven to be an effective and rising voice. She has been instrumental in helping push for fundamental changes that have helped hard-working families in Seattle obtain better wages and benefits, and justice at the workplace.
A few years ago, stories like Davis’ helped the city of Seattle pass a much needed paid sick leave law. A few weeks ago, those same stories were a big reason why the Washington House of Representatives passed paid sick leave. Davis is calling on the State Senate and the federal government to do the same.
Davis started working at Safeway when she was 16. Now 25, she is an elected member of the UFCW Local 21 Executive Board and is proud to work at Haggen, a union grocery store in Renton, Washington.
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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online atwww.ufcw.org
We are 1.3 million families standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family deserves.
www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational @UFCW
April 1, 2015
Seattle UFCW Local 21 Member Helps to Kick-off “Lead on Leave” White House Tour
UFCW Local 21 member Ariana Davis with Secretary of Labor Tom Perez
Calls On Washington State Senate & Federal Government to Enact Paid Leave Laws
Seattle, WA –Today, Ariana Davis, a member of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 21, was featured at the kickoff event of the “Lead on Leave – Empowering Working Families Across America Tour” hosted by Secretary of Labor Tom Perez. The roundtable discussion was the first stop of a national tour by the White House to highlight the importance of enacting a paid leave law that will ensure all working and middle class families have the opportunity to deal with a sickness or spend time with their children and family members during times of illness or other critical life moments.
Ms. Davis joined a diverse group of local employers, workers, and community groups to discuss the demands of family and the importance of enacting state and federal paid leave laws.
“No one in America should have to choose between their health, their family and their job,” said Davis. “On a bad week, when we’re sick, we can’t afford to take unpaid time off so we get some Kleenex, drag ourselves out of bed, and come to work. This is unhealthy for coworkers, customers, and the communities we live in. Paid leave will help us all deal with these difficult moments and improve our ability to do our jobs. Passing laws like this are essential to making life better for every hard working family in America.”
As a young, female, LGBT person of color within the labor movement, Davis has proven to be an effective and rising voice. She has been instrumental in helping push for fundamental changes that have helped hard-working families in Seattle obtain better wages and benefits, and justice at the workplace.
A few years ago, stories like Davis’ helped the city of Seattle pass a much needed paid sick leave law. A few weeks ago, those same stories were a big reason why the Washington House of Representatives passed paid sick leave. Davis is calling on the State Senate and the federal government to do the same.
Davis started working at Safeway when she was 16. Now 25, she is an elected member of the UFCW Local 21 Executive Board and is proud to work at Haggen, a union grocery store in Renton, Washington.
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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online at www.ufcw.org
We are 1.3 million families standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family deserves.
www.facebook.com/UFCWinternational @UFCW
April 1, 2015
UFCW Statement on Veto of Legislation Blocking NLRB Election Rule
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today released the following statement after President Obama vetoed legislation that would have blocked the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) rule to streamline union elections.
“As we have said from the very beginning, the NLRB’s modest rule to modernize and streamline union elections is a step in the right direction and should be implemented without delay. Make no mistake, those attempting to block this rule want to make it harder for workers to have a voice on the job. Shortening the period between the filing of a petition and the election means less time for anti-worker employers to intimidate, harass, and fire pro-union employees. This rule creates a fairer process and we look forward to seeing it in action. We commend President Obama for vetoing this ill-advised legislation.”
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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online at www.ufcw.org
We are 1.3 million families standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family deserves.
April 1, 2015
UFCW President Perrone in Response to Governor Pence: Fully Repeal Indiana’s Discriminatory Law
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), called for a full repeal of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in response to Indiana Governor Mike Pence’s press conference where he offered to fix the law without providing specifics.
“This law is not about freedom, it purposely legislates discrimination and division. It is anti-American, anti-family, and anti-worker. It is a law that cruelly targets men and women, and their families, simply because of who they are. It is fundamentally wrong, it does not belong in Indiana or any state in America, and it must be repealed.
To be clear, as we decide where to take our future business—from annual conferences to the UFCW 2018 International Convention—we will not consider Indiana unless it fully repeals this discriminatory law. We urge every union, every American, and every business and employer, large and small, to join with the millions of Americans who have already spoken out against this needless and terrible law.
For the better America we all believe in, this law must be scrapped.”
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Join the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) online at www.ufcw.org
We are 1.3 million families standing together to build an economy that every hard-working family deserves.