Monthly Archives: April 2019

Members of UFCW Local 1189 who work at S.B. Foot Tanning Company in Red Wing, Minn., ratified a new agreement on March 28 that improves wages and protects benefits. S.B. Foot Tanning Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Red Wing Shoes Company, Inc. and is the principal supplier of leather to their shoe manufacturing plants.

The three-year contract includes wage increases for all members and continues the fully employer-paid health care at current benefit levels. The contract also made great strides to strengthen equal pay standards and end the two-tier wage system.

Congratulations to the Union Bargaining Committee for their hard work in protecting benefits, improving wages, and trying to reform the payroll system.

UFCW Local 1445 played an instrumental role in supporting the Boston City Council’s passage of the Good Food Purchasing Program on March 20. The program will transform the way public institutions, including Boston Public Schools, purchase food and put millions of dollars back into Boston’s regional economy. This is the second time this year that our union has helped to pass a food justice policy. UFCW Local 75 helped to pass the Good Food Purchasing Program in Cincinnati on Jan. 28.

Boston’s Good Food Purchasing Program encourages food suppliers to provide healthier food that is ethically produced, locally sourced and environmentally friendly. The policy also protects workers’ rights to organize a union free from intimidation and helps ensure that farmers receive a fair price for the fresh food they produce.

UFCW Local 1445 was part of a community-based coalition that included other unions, as well as faith, policy and student groups, and environmental and animal welfare organizations, which advocated for the program.

“We commend the City of Boston for passing the Good Food Purchasing Policy, which includes fair labor standards,” said UFCW Local 1445 Political Director Jim Carvalho. “The city took a strong step towards providing strong incentives for food companies receiving taxpayer dollars to pay their workers a living wage, provide strong protections against workplace hazards, and otherwise move towards adopting more sustainable food production practices in a manner that bolsters our local economy.”