Monthly Archives: March 2016

Today is International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. In the spirit of this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Pledging for Parity,” UNI Global Union is launching a new Equal Opportunities Campaign on Women’s Health.

The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness on issues that affect women’s health, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, maternal and reproductive health and mental illnesses. In spite of the advances in healthcare that have been made over the last few decades, gender roles continue to place women at a disadvantage. Since women represent half of the world’s population, the well-being of women will have a direct impact on our families, communities and quality of life. For more information about the campaign, visit http://en.uni-womens-health.org/.

On February 24, UFCW members and leaders from across California traveled to Sacramento to participate in the first lobby day of the year.

While at the Capitol, UFCW members thanked state legislators for their strong support of AB 359, the Grocery Worker Retention Act, which became law on January 1^st of this year.

Members also highlighted legislation the UFCW is co-sponsoring and supporting for the 2016 California State Legislative Session. This year, the UFCW is hoping to see California pass AB 67, the Double Pay on the Holiday Act, and SB 878, the Reliable Scheduling Act.

The Double Pay on the Holiday Act will guarantee that employees who work on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day will be paid double time. The bill is meant to honor every hard-working person who has to spend part of the holiday season at work and away from their families.

The Reliable Scheduling Act will give workers greater security by ensuring that they have adequate notice of their work schedule. This bill requires employers to post a monthly schedule at least one week in advance so that workers know when they will work, what their shifts will be, and how many hours they will have.

UFCW members in California are determined to build on the progress of last year and see both of these bills pass.