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News and Updates
June 26, 2015
UFCW Statement on Obergefell v. Hodges
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.
“Today, marriage equality is finally the law of the land. This decision secures equality and dignity for every family in all fifty states. Our UFCW family strongly supports full equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people – not just the right of all people to marry the person they love, but also equal rights when it comes to employment and immigration policies. It is a historic victory that was simply unimaginable just two decades ago.
While we are celebrating today, it’s worth remembering that there is still a lot of work to be done before LGBT people have full equality under the law. In a majority of states, there is nothing to prevent a worker from being discriminated against or fired simply because of who they love, or because of their gender identity or expression. And LGBT workers’ partners and families can be unfairly excluded from workplace policies and benefits like health coverage or family leave.
A UFCW union contract is often the only protection LGBT workers and their families have from these indignities. The UFCW is proud to play a part in the growing momentum towards equality – from bargaining union contracts that recognize LGBT workers and their families, to fighting for change at the state level, to marching in solidarity at pride parades and celebrations in towns across America.”
June 23, 2015
President Perrone: “Passage of Fast Track is a Historic Bipartisan Failure”
Washington, D.C. — Today, Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the largest private sector union in the nation, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate invoking cloture on and moving towards passage of Trade Promotion Authority, also known as Fast Track.
“The passage of fast track is a historic bipartisan failure the American people will never forget. Instead of passing laws that will help create jobs and raise incomes, the President, along with many Republicans and Democrats, have proved that they have no regard for the concerns of hard-working men and women who will now lose their jobs or struggle to earn a good income.
“The President, and those members of Congress who voted for this legislation, must now live with the consequences of their actions. While they may choose to diminish our concerns, the passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will feed a spiral of despair of lower wages, lost jobs, and increased income inequality. History has proved this right, and sadly, it will prove it once again.
“The brutal truth is that the President and the Members of Congress who voted for Fast Track will not be the ones who pay the economic price of another bad trade deal; they will be fine. It is the countless number of workers who will wake up in the years ahead and realize the good job they had is gone, and the only choice they have now is to work at Walmart or McDonalds where they will barely make enough to survive.
“So, let me be very clear, we, and the American people will hold those Members of Congress, especially congressional leaders, who voted for Fast Track, and who may vote for TPP, accountable. We will not forget this vote. We will expose, when the details are finally made public, the terrible impact that TPP will have on this nation. Above all, we will make sure that our 1.3 million members and their families know exactly who stood up for hard-working families and who did not.”
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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.
June 23, 2015
UFCW President Perrone: “Passage of Fast Track is a Historic Bipartisan Failure the American People Will Never Forget.”
We will make sure that our 1.3 million members and their families know exactly
who stood up for hard-working families and who did not.”
via Daily dot
Washington, D.C. — Today, Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the largest private sector union in the nation, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate invoking cloture on and moving towards passage of Trade Promotion Authority, also known as Fast Track.
“The passage of fast track is a historic bipartisan failure the American people will never forget. Instead of passing laws that will help create jobs and raise incomes, the President, along with many Republicans and Democrats, have proved that they have no regard for the concerns of hard-working men and women who will now lose their jobs or struggle to earn a good income.
“The President, and those members of Congress who voted for this legislation, must now live with the consequences of their actions. While they may choose to diminish our concerns, the passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will feed a spiral of despair of lower wages, lost jobs, and increased income inequality. History has proved this right, and sadly, it will prove it once again.
“The brutal truth is that the President and the Members of Congress who voted for Fast Track will not be the ones who pay the economic price of another bad trade deal; they will be fine. It is the countless number of workers who will wake up in the years ahead and realize the good job they had is gone, and the only choice they have now is to work at Walmart or McDonalds where they will barely make enough to survive.
“So, let me be very clear, we, and the American people will hold those Members of Congress, especially congressional leaders, who voted for Fast Track, and who may vote for TPP, accountable. We will not forget this vote. We will expose, when the details are finally made public, the terrible impact that TPP will have on this nation. Above all, we will make sure that our 1.3 million members and their families know exactly who stood up for hard-working families and who did not.”
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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.
June 23, 2015
President Perrone: U.S. Senators Should Stand with Hard-Working Families and Stop Stand-Alone Fast Track
Letter Sent to All Members of the U.S. Senate states: “This current stand-alone fast track bill is even worse for workers than the previous Senate bill you voted on a few weeks ago.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In light of an expected vote on fast track in the U.S. Senate, Marc Perrone, International President of the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), today released a letter to all 100 members of the U.S. Senate urging them to vote no on the stand-alone Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill, also known as fast track.
The letter makes clear what is at stake in this week’s vote: “The debate over fast track and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is not one defined by party or partisanship” he writes. “Nor is it about the President or his agenda. This debate is about whether or not our elected officials will stand with the millions of workers and hard-working families who oppose this trade deal because it is they – not those in Washington – who will ultimately bear the burden of its aftermath.”
In the letter, Perrone listed the many failures of the stand-alone TPA bill. “It gives no guarantee that workers who will lose their jobs and income due to unfair trade deals get assistance,” he writes. “Worse yet, this bill fails to address currency manipulation, climate change, human trafficking, or countries who refuse to play by the rules when it comes to labor standards.”
Perrone gives reasons why every Senator should vote no. “Simply put, no Democrat or Republican should be willing to cede their legislative responsibilities to President Obama, multinational corporations, or special interests and insiders who have negotiated this deal in secret,” he states.
“Instead of barreling towards another unfair trade deal that will fail America’s hard-working men and women, the Senate should slow down and work to pass a responsible bill that will truly protect our economy, our workers and their families,” the letter reads.
The letter from Perrone makes clear the ultimate responsibility that each Senator has to their constituents: “your constituents, our members, and the American people will remember who stood against this trade deal and who did not. For the sake of the better America we must all believe in, please do what is right for the hard-working families you have sworn to serve and vote no on fast track.”
The Senate letter is the latest action taken by the UFCW and its 1.3 million members to highlight the negative impact that TPA and TPP will have on the country. This week, for instance, UFCW is mobilizing its members in every state to reach out and convince their Senators to stop this stand-alone fast track bill.
The full letter from Marc Perrone is copied below.
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Dear Senator,
On behalf of the 1.3 million hard-working members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), I am writing to strongly urge you to oppose the stand-alone Trade Promotion Authority bill, also known as fast track.
The debate over fast track and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is not one defined by party or partisanship. Nor is it about the President or his agenda. This debate is about whether or not our elected officials will stand with the millions of workers and hard-working families who oppose this trade deal because it is they – not those in Washington – who will ultimately bear the burden of its aftermath.
This current stand-alone fast track bill is even worse for workers than the previous Senate bill you voted on a few weeks ago. It gives no guarantee that workers who will lose their jobs and income due to unfair trade deals get assistance. Worse yet, this bill fails to address currency manipulation, climate change, human trafficking, or countries who refuse to play by the rules when it comes to labor standards.
Simply put, no Democrat or Republican should be willing to cede their legislative responsibilities to President Obama, multinational corporations, or special interests and insiders who have negotiated this deal in secret.
While it is easy to rationalize that this trade deal will be different, the facts and history are quite clear. If TPP passes, we can expect more American workers will lose their jobs, more families will struggle, wages will be driven even lower and income inequality will worsen.
Instead of barreling towards another unfair trade deal that will fail America’s hard-working men and women, the Senate should slow down and work to pass a responsible bill that will truly protect our economy, our workers and their families.
Make no mistake, your constituents, our members, and the American people will remember who stood against this trade deal and who did not. For the sake of the better America we must all believe in, please do what is right for the hard-working families you have sworn to serve and vote no on fast track.
Sincerely,
Marc Perrone
International President
June 19, 2015
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June 18, 2015
President Perrone: Today’s Fast Track Vote Displays Desperation
Washington, D.C. — Today, Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the largest private sector union in the nation, released the following statement in response to the U.S. House passing stand-alone fast track trade legislation.
“Today’s vote in the U.S. House displays the desperate levels that supporters of this terrible trade deal will stoop to, and a complete disregard for America’s workers and their families.
“Instead of addressing the massive failures of past trade agreements, the House and the President have doubled down on a disastrous strategy that will cost jobs, lower wages and worsen already record levels of income inequality.
“Make no mistake, every member of the House, both Republicans and Democrats, who sent Fast Track to the Senate today will be remembered for turning their backs on America’s working families when it mattered most.
“Going forward, we will shift our focus to the Senate where multiple Senators have already expressed doubt about this latest and most frantic attempt to pass Fast Track. We will make clear to every Senator that the best place to stand is against Fast Track and with the hard-working men and women of America.”
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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.
June 18, 2015
President Perrone: Today’s Fast Track Vote Displays Desperation
image via stopfasttrack.com
Washington, D.C. — Today, Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the largest private sector union in the nation, released the following statement in response to the U.S. House passing stand-alone fast track trade legislation.
“Today’s vote in the U.S. House displays the desperate levels that supporters of this terrible trade deal will stoop to, and a complete disregard for America’s workers and their families.
“Instead of addressing the massive failures of past trade agreements, the House and the President have doubled down on a disastrous strategy that will cost jobs, lower wages and worsen already record levels of income inequality.
“Make no mistake, every member of the House, both Republicans and Democrats, who sent Fast Track to the Senate today will be remembered for turning their backs on America’s working families when it mattered most.
“Going forward, we will shift our focus to the Senate where multiple Senators have already expressed doubt about this latest and most frantic attempt to pass Fast Track. We will make clear to every Senator that the best place to stand is against Fast Track and with the hard-working men and women of America.”
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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
June 17, 2015
More LabCorp Workers Say Union Yes and Join UFCW Local 1428
On Saturday, June 13, UFCW Local 1428 welcomed 40 new UFCW members who work at six different LabCorp facilities across southern Calif., after they overwhelmingly voted “yes” and won their election.
Adrianna Beltran, a LabCorp worker from Covina, California spoke about gaining a voice on the job:
“I am very happy to join my coworkers who voted in May! It was very disrespectful that LabCorp fought us so hard during our election. We are forming a union because we want to better our working conditions. I want to address retirement so that we can have a better future. For my coworkers who are voting next, if we stick together we can achieve much more!”
Veronica Beltran, a UFCW LabCorp worker who won her election back in May, had a message for her new union brothers and sisters:
“Congratulations on winning your election! We are all working really hard to make our workplace better. Because we are forming a union, LabCorp is making fast promises of changes that they had said ‘no’ to for many years! This is exactly why having a union works! Now, let’s keep winning the elections so that we can get our contract!”
Local 1428 hopes to begin discussing contact negotiations in July.
June 12, 2015
President Perrone: “The Best Way to Help the Jobless is to Stop Passing Trade Agreements like TPP that Kill Jobs.”
Washington, D.C. — Today, Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the largest private sector union in the nation, released the following statement in response to the U.S. House failing to advance fast track trade legislation.
“This is a victory for hard-working men and women all across America. In the face of long odds, the American people sent a powerful message that their interests trump narrow political agendas and special interests.
“Today, we saw elected leaders stand up and make clear that the failed promises of global trade agreements, which only seem to serve irresponsible corporations, must come to an end. More importantly, we have seen what hard-working families can accomplish when we stand together and fight for what is right for both workers and this nation.
“With respect to TAA, we support a clean extension of the program, but the best way to help the jobless is to simply stop passing trade agreements like TPP that kill jobs.
“While one vote does not end the fight, our campaign for a better America will continue full speed ahead until the threat of TPP and other unfair trade deals is gone for good.”
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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.
June 9, 2015
New TPP Ad Released Urging a “No” Vote on Fast Track
New TPP Ad Released Urging a “No” Vote on Fast Track
Letter Sent to All Members of the House of Representatives Asking: “Will you do what is right for America’s hard-working men and women who you are sworn to serve?”
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Highlighting the secrecy of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the reluctance of the Obama administration to release details, the 1.3 million member United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) today released a new ad urging members of the House of Representatives to vote no on fast track.
As part of its intense lobbying campaign, a letter was also sent to all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives where UFCW International President Marc Perrone made clear what is at stake. “Will you stand with the irresponsible corporations and special interests that are pushing fast track and the TPP?” he wrote. “Or will you do what is right for America’s hard-working men and women who you are sworn to serve?”
“America’s workers and hard-working families and their advocates have been completely shut out of the process,” Perrone added.
In the letter, Perrone decried President Obama’s strong-arm tactics on the trade deal and urged members of Congress to remember their obligation to their constituents.
“President Obama has regrettably made the vote about loyalty to him,” he wrote. “At the UFCW, our loyalty is to the 1.3 million hard-working men and women we represent and their families. Your loyalty should be to this country, to your constituents, and not President Obama, one party, or a secret trade deal.”
“The secrecy has gotten so egregious that when a group of concerned citizens went to the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office last week, not only were they prevented from reviewing the agreement, USTR staff locked the door to the visitor’s entrance,” the letter reads. “It leaves you to wonder: what are they hiding?”
“Our elected leaders must acknowledge what the President refuses to—that unfair trade deals have been catastrophic for hard-working families, driving down wages and benefits, shipping jobs overseas, and exploding income inequality,” Perrone concluded.
This week the UFCW will engage in a major blitz, reaching out directly to undecided members of Congress who will determine the outcome of fast track. This includes the ads in Politico, which highlight a bipartisan concern over the issue of secrecy and the right of the American people to know what is in this deal. A print ad ran today and digital ads are scheduled to run throughout the week.
The full letter is linked here and copied 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.
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Dear Representative:
On behalf of the 1.3 million hard-working members of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), I am writing to strongly urge you, again, to oppose fast track legislation if and when it comes up for a vote.
Respectfully, you have a critical decision to make. Will you stand with the irresponsible corporations and special interests that are pushing fast track and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)? Or will you do what is right for America’s hard-working men and women who you are sworn to serve?
As you know, the TPP has been put together entirely in secret, with the advice and counsel of those who for decades have benefitted from bad trade deals. America’s workers and hard-working families and their advocates have been completely shut out of the process. The secrecy has gotten so egregious that when a group of concerned citizens went to the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office last week, not only were they prevented from reviewing the agreement, USTR staff locked the door to the visitor’s entrance. It leaves you to wonder: what are they hiding?
The American people deserve to know what is in this deal. And those considering supporting it should ask themselves how they will justify voting for a secret deal that would harm their constituents and the American people.
As we now see, President Obama has regrettably made the vote about loyalty to him. At the UFCW, our loyalty is to the 1.3 million hard-working men and women we represent and their families. Your loyalty should be to this country, to your constituents, and not President Obama, one party, or a secret trade deal. So while the President pulls out all the stops to sway undecided Members of Congress, he and you should remember the people who elected you to office.
If there is any doubt where the American people stand, you need to look no further than a recent New York Times/CBS News poll where over 55 percent of Americans oppose fast track, including 61 percent of independents.
Finally, this is more than just a vote about a trade deal so bad that it is kept in secret. This is about whether you will stand with the very workers who have paid the price from other bad trade deals. Some may choose to ignore this reality, but our elected leaders must acknowledge what the President refuses to—that unfair trade deals have been catastrophic for hard-working families, driving down wages and benefits, shipping jobs overseas, and exploding income inequality.
Enough is enough.
We urge you to do the right thing and vote no on fast track.
Sincerely,
Marc Perrone
International President