Monthly Archives: October 2016

Will Reynolds Young, a member of UFCW Local 23 who works at Giant Eagle, is making a difference in his community this election season by registering voters, phone banking and knocking on doors in the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh.

Young has worked at the Giant Eagle grocery store in Pittsburgh for ten years and has dealt with health issues for the past two years.

“I can’t even put a price tag on how valuable the health insurance is that I’ve been afforded as a union member,” he said.

Young is supporting Hillary Clinton, and is also making sure people know about the Senate race between Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), and Katie McGinty, the pro-worker challenger.

“There’s more reasons to vote than just the presidential race,” Young explained. “Sometimes state and local races can have an even greater impact. Political work can be trying at times, but it’s all worth it if more pro-worker candidates can win on Election Day.”

Young was recently featured on Medium and you can read more about him here.

On Oct. 21, after standing together to improve working conditions, Jim Beam workers in Clermont and Boston, Ky., ratified a new contract by a vote of 204 to 19. The workers are members of UFCW Local 111D.

UFCW Local 111D President Janelle Mudd released the following statement regarding the new two-year contract:

“Today’s vote is the culmination of the efforts of many to reach a compromise that will, ultimately, benefit everyone. After months of negotiation and feeling like the voice of UFCW 111D was not being heard, we had hoped that we would not have to go on strike to reach an agreement with Beam Suntory management. In the end, we made a strong statement and we were heard.

“The final proposal includes many of the key elements that we felt so strongly about, such as equal pay for equal work, a cap on temporary employees and the hiring of more full-time employees. We appreciate management’s diligence to reach an agreement with the union. They met with employees from a cross section of departments from both the Clermont and Boston plants, and representatives talked to employees on the picket line to clarify the areas of greatest need.

“We would also like to thank all the organizations, businesses and individuals who supported us with donations of money, supplies, food and beverages; those who honked, waved and stopped to give words of encouragement; those who picketed with us; and those who refused to cross the picket line.”