Monthly Archives: June 2017

On June 1, registered and licensed practical nurses at the Good Samaritan Society’s Comforcare facility in Austin, Minn., voted to join UFCW Local 1189. The 12 Comforcare facility nurses organized around their desire to provide the best possible care for their residents, and were concerned about scheduling issues and respect in the workplace.

“We organized to be a strong voice not only for each other, but for the residents as well,” said Gina Richardson, a registered nurse at the Comforcare facility. “Union protection allows us to speak up on their behalf and ensure they receive the best care possible.”

“We are really proud of this great group of nurses who were motivated by their compassion for their residents and their fellow nurses,” said UFCW Local 1189 President Jennifer Christensen. “We hope that Good Samaritan will take this as a wake-up call and really listen to their concerns.”

UFCW Local 770 welcomed hundreds of workers and community members from southeast Los Angeles County to the grand opening of the Ricardo F. Icaza Workers’ Center on April 8 in Huntington Park, Calif. Hilda Solis, county supervisor; Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation; Esther López, UFCW International secretary-treasurer; Shaun Barclay, UFCW executive vice president and director of organizing; and leaders of labor and the southeast Los Angeles County communities also attended the grand opening.

At the center, UFCW Local 770 will collaborate with community organizations on issues affecting workers, including restorative justice, immigration, wage and hour law enforcement, and workplace safety and health, towards the common goal of building power in southeast Los Angeles County’s predominantly Latino, working-class communities. In addition, the center will serve as a hub for organizing and building strength for our union.

“One of the promises of our union is to end the conditions that marginalize many in our communities,” said UFCW Local 770 President Ricardo F. Icaza. “This center will seek to fulfill that promise by providing hope for those immigrants who wish to come out of the shadows, a center of activism to bring a voice to those denied democracy in their workplace, and a center of justice to restore integrity and equality in our communities. This is our commitment to the communities we serve, and an investment in our movement.”