Monthly Archives: January 2015

The UFCW International has just released a new toolkit for local unions to engage members in the growing national movement for paid sick leave. Millions of working Americans do not get a single paid sick day – including more than 80 percent of low-wage workers. Without paid sick leave, workers are at risk of losing their jobs if a child gets sick or if they fall ill themselves. President Obama has challenged the country to make paid sick leave available to all families through his endorsement of the Healthy Families Act. Across the country, UFCW locals have long been advocates of similar legislation at the state and municipal levels. UFCW members have played an active role in the passage of sick leave laws in three states and 16 cities, and will continue to be an important voice in the fight for a national Healthy Families Act.

Available workplace flyers and social media materials:

• Support Paid Sick Leave Flyer
• Sick Leave Talking Points
• Sick Days Facts

No worker should be forced to go to work sick because they simply can’t afford not to. Allowing workers to stay home when they are sick is good for public health and the economy. Access to paid sick leave is also good for businesses since workers can stay home when they’re contagious. Our support of paid sick leave will help give working Americans job security and will strengthen the middle class.

On January 23-25, UFCW Local 540 hosted an immigration workshop and informational session with more than 50 attendees as part of the UFCW’s Union Citizenship Action Network (UCAN). During the workshop, participants discussed President Obama’s recent executive action on immigration known as Deferred Action for Parents (DAP), along with learning about the naturalization process and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The session was run by UFCW Executive Vice President and Director of the Civil Rights and Community Action Department Esther López.

In November, the President put the DAP program in place to remove the threat of deportation for parents of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. Many UFCW local unions are hosting similar forums to help members determine whether they qualify, gather necessary documentation, prescreen their applications, and answer important legal questions.

The naturalization and citizenship part of the training provided participants with the platform to learn about the critical skills and tools needed to assist eligible UFCW members and their families to go through the naturalization process to become U.S. citizens. In addition to learning about the naturalization process, participants were also trained to provide assistance to workers or their family members who qualify for immigration benefits under the Obama Administration’s June 2012 memorandum on DACA.

For more information about DAP, visit www.ufcw.org/immigrationaction. If you are interested in sample documents that can help in this process, please contact Amy Gray at agray@ufcw.org. In addition, DAP flyers in English and Spanish are available on the UFCW Political Toolkit at www.ufcwtoolkit.com.

If your local union is interested in hosting a training or taking advantage of upcoming immigration training opportunities, please contact Eduardo Peña at epena@ufcw.org.