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To help locals communicate the incredible value our members receive by joining our union family, the International is rolling out a Union Worth Calculator to estimate the worth of our contracts over the next few weeks. This tool, which was demonstrated to locals at the recent International Executive Board Meeting, was created to help local union representatives and organizers calculate the dollar value of our contracts for current and potential members, particularly in “Work for Less” states and in states where members may be unsure of the value of their union contracts.

Data from our focus groups show that there is a significant disconnect among our members when it comes to membership fees and how that translates to the worth of their contracts. In addition, union representatives and organizers are having a difficult time estimating the value we bring to our members in a concrete way.

The Union Worth Calculator will help to remedy this problem by presenting members with the specific dollar value of their contracts. This tool, which can be used on a smartphone as easily as a desktop or tablet device, will require locals to plug in basic contract and employee data from their agreements from a single point in time. For example, if a three-year agreement is in its second year, then the wage increases plugged into the calculator should reflect that fact. In addition to wages, other basic contract categories to plug in can include premium additional pay, bonuses, sick days, holidays, vacation days, and pension and health and welfare contributions. Employee data can include hourly wages, hours worked per week, overtime and premium hours, and employee paid health and welfare premiums. Once this data is plugged in, the tool will break down the monetary value of our members’ contracts in terms of wage increases, premium pay, holiday pay, pensions, overtime, sick and vacation days, bonuses and health and welfare.

Detailed instructions about how to use this important tool will be sent to every local within the next few weeks, and you can view the site here. The “about” section at the bottom of the page provides some basic information about the site. If you have any questions, please contact Jeff Fiedler, director of the National Strategic Retail Department, at jfiedler@ufcw.org.