Monthly Archives: May 2017

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) presented the UFCW with its first National Corporate Leadership Award at their 2017 Volunteer Leadership Conference awards dinner in Washington, D.C., on May 2. The National Corporate Leadership Award honors an organization with fundamental alignment to LLS’s goal to cure blood cancers and commitment to improving the lives of patients. UFCW International Secretary-Treasurer Esther López accepted the award on behalf of our union family.

The UFCW has raised more than $82 million for LLS’s goal to find cures and ensure access to treatments for blood cancer patients since the partnership began in 1982. In 2016 alone, the UFCW generated $1.9 million in the United States and more than $2.4 million in Canada, through a variety of fundraising efforts ranging from golf outings to dinners.

“The UFCW union family prides itself on giving back to the communities we call home and doing our part to bring hard-working families a better life,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone. “We are honored to help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society lead the way to a world without blood cancers. Our partnership is proof that the best way to make a difference is to stand together.”

“LLS is very proud of our partnership with the UFCW, whose members have supported LLS relentlessly by raising essential funds needed to fight blood cancer,” said Louis J. DeGennaro, Ph.D., LLS’s president and CEO. “The UFCW is helping LLS make it possible to accomplish more than any other cancer nonprofit to advance cutting edge research and cures for patients.”

On May 30, the New York City Council signed Intro. 1387, which bans on-call scheduling practices in the retail industry, into law. RWDSU/UFCW members rallied in support of Intro. 1387 in March, and RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum also testified at the New York City Council’s hearing in support of the ban.

Under Intro. 1387, employers will no longer be allowed to schedule workers to be on-call, and will not be able to cancel a shift within 72 hours of the start of the shift except under extreme conditions, such as a natural disaster. With worker consent, employers will be able to add a shift within 72 hours. Employers will also be held accountable for any violations.

“RWDSU is committed to raising job standards across industries and occupations,” said Appelbaum, in reaction to the passage of the legislation on May 24. “On-call scheduling is a pervasive and exploitive employment practice where workers do not find out until just before a scheduled shift if they will be required to work or not. Today’s passage of Intro. 1387 by the New York City Council and the Speaker is a critical step in helping workers gain more control over their own lives and their ability to earn a living. When Mayor DeBlasio signs the bill into law, it will set a national precedent that will help retail workers not just survive in this country, but thrive.”