-
News and Updates
June 9, 2015
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 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.
###
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
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
June 6, 2015
Union Plus Reminds Us All Why #ItsGoodToBeUnion
Union members have been joining in on why #ItsGoodToBeUnion, but let’s really turn it up!
Every weekend in June, Union Plus will be adding a challenge to the mix, and offering a prize. Why? Because unions created the weekend, the weekly reminder that #ItsGoodToBeUnion.
Saturday, June 6th, through Sunday, June 7th, union members who follow Union Plus on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and post with the hashtag #ItsGoodToBeUnion will be entered to win a 10-ticket movie package!
That’s it. Just follow Union Plus, post with the hashtag, and you’ll be entered! The winner will be selected at random and union membership will be verified. E-Tickets are good for any movie at any time and do not expire.
Members can choose their 10-ticket package for one of the following theatre packages:
- Cinemark Platinum e-Supersaver
- Regal Premiere E-Ticket
- Regal VIP E-Ticket
|
THREE WAYS TO ENTER (June 3rd to June 7th)
Enter through at least one of these social medias!
|
||
|
|
|
|
| And post why it’s good to be union with the hashtag #ItsGoodToBeUnion. | ||
Click here for official contest rules.
Check out the conversation on Twitter!
#ItsGoodToBeUnion Tweets// < 
Missouri — Dave Cook, President of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655, Steven Straher, President of UFCW Local 88, and Tom Price, President of UFCW Local 2, representing 20,000 workers across Missouri, today released the following statement in response to Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of right to work legislation.
“On behalf of the 20,000 members of the UFCW in Missouri, we thank Governor Nixon for vetoing a bill designed to silence the voice of workers. Right to work would lower wages and standards across our state and we will continue to fight it tooth and nail until the veto is sustained in September.
“Right to work sounds good on paper, but in reality it means lower paying jobs, fewer benefits, and more dangerous workplaces. It is being pushed by out of state special interests who believe workers do not deserve a say in the terms of their employment. Plain and simple, it’s a corporate giveaway at the expense of everyday Missouri families.
“We’ve been fighting this legislation for 5 years so you better believe we are ready for another three months. Right to work proponents may not have the votes to override now, but the millionaires and billionaires pushing this bill will spend the summer trying to change that. In the meantime, the UFCW will be working with our Republican and Democratic partners in the Legislature to sustain the veto. UFCW members will be reaching out directly to their friends and neighbors to let them know that Missouri cannot afford a future with right to work.
“Simply put, right to work would be a disaster for the hard-working families of our state and the UFCW will not rest until it is defeated once and for all.”
###
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 4, 2015
UFCW Members in Missouri Will Not Rest Until Right to Work is Defeated Once and for All
Missouri — Dave Cook, President of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655, Steven Straher, President of UFCW Local 88, and Tom Price, President of UFCW Local 2, representing 20,000 workers across Missouri, today released the following statement in response to Governor Jay Nixon’s veto of right to work legislation.
“On behalf of the 20,000 members of the UFCW in Missouri, we thank Governor Nixon for vetoing a bill designed to silence the voice of workers. Right to work would lower wages and standards across our state and we will continue to fight it tooth and nail until the veto is sustained in September.
“Right to work sounds good on paper, but in reality it means lower paying jobs, fewer benefits, and more dangerous workplaces. It is being pushed by out of state special interests who believe workers do not deserve a say in the terms of their employment. Plain and simple, it’s a corporate giveaway at the expense of everyday Missouri families.
“We’ve been fighting this legislation for 5 years so you better believe we are ready for another three months. Right to work proponents may not have the votes to override now, but the millionaires and billionaires pushing this bill will spend the summer trying to change that. In the meantime, the UFCW will be working with our Republican and Democratic partners in the Legislature to sustain the veto. UFCW members will be reaching out directly to their friends and neighbors to let them know that Missouri cannot afford a future with right to work.
“Simply put, right to work would be a disaster for the hard-working families of our state and the UFCW will not rest until it is defeated once and for all.”
###
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 3, 2015
Food Front Co-Op Workers Vote Union Yes
Workers at Food Front Co-op stores have voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 555. After an overwhelming vote in favor of joining the union, 91 workers will become members of UFCW Local 555.
Food Front Co-op has two stores in the Northwest and Hillsdale neighborhoods of Portland. With more than 10,000 member-owners, democratic governance is a foundational value at Food Front. As union members, store workers will now have their own democratic voice in the co-op.
“We are the union at Food Front,” said Russell Kwong. “Our union will help assure customers that we are treated fairly and that the co-op is run democratically. Improving our standards at the co-op benefits employees, customers and owners — and subsequently the whole community.”
For Food Front workers, a union voice on the job reinforces the collaborative values that brought them to the co-op. In the coming weeks, workers will sit down with management to negotiate a first contract that solves existing problems and improves working conditions.
“The bottom line is that we wish to be respected, heard, treated equally and most of all supported,” said Kira Davis, a store worker. “I believe that creating our union can help strengthen us. As a union, we will empower everyone through education, communication and action.”
June 2, 2015
IKEA USA Charged with Violating Federal Labor Law
Labor Board Complaint Alleges IKEA Manager Interrogated Workers, Violated Freedom of Association
BOSTON — The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a complaint against IKEA USA alleging unfair labor practices at the company’s store in Stoughton, Mass. The complaint alleges that the company violated federal law by unlawfully interrogating employees about their support for a union. The complaint further finds fault with the company’s social media policy, finding the policy to be overly broad and infringing on the right of workers to engage in protected activity.
“My coworkers and I came together to make IKEA better because we love our jobs and we believed in the company’s values,” said Nancy Goetz, a worker in the Stoughton IKEA. “In other countries, IKEA works collaboratively with the workers’ unions to solve problems. I never thought that IKEA would allow supervisors to intimidate and interrogate us. I expected more from IKEA. I expected that my rights would be respected.”
IKEA Group is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), an international compact that prohibits companies from interfering with workers’ freedom of association. IKEA has incorporated Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labor Organization, an agency of the United Nations, into the company’s internal code of conduct. Conventions 87 and 98 relate to freedom of association and the right of collective bargaining.
Freedom of association for American workers is protected by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a law that protects workers’ rights to take collective action, form unions and bargain collectively. The Act also prohibits employers from engaging in certain coercive or intimidating tactics for the purpose of preventing workers from freely exercising their rights under the Act. Prohibited tactics are considered Unfair Labor Practices and are prosecuted by the NLRB.
“This complaint sadly shows that IKEA does not treat hard-working American families with the same respect that the company shows to workers in other parts of the world,” said Marc Perrone, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW). “Every American worker has a fundamental right to come together and take collective action to improve their jobs. The UFCW stands with these workers, and together we will hold IKEA to a higher standard.”
The full complaint filed by the NLRB can be obtained by contacting Moira Bulloch at mbulloch@ufcw.org.
###
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.