Rueben Hernandez, a UFCW Local 367 member who works at Fred Meyer, assisted with the sign-up program.
UFCW Local 367 is working on its member-to-member sign-up effort in Washington, which has resulted in adding about 800 new members to our union family in the past few months.
The majority of the new members work at Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertsons, QFC, Haggen and small independent grocery stores in Pierce, Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties.
Rueben Hernandez, a UFCW Local 367 member who works at Fred Meyer, participated in a training and assisted with the sign-up program.
“My experience has taught me that listening to people is more effective than talking at people,” Hernandez said. “It is really important to learn the person’s background so you can meet them where they are at.”
“We decided after the election that we wanted to focus on growing our union. In just a few months, we grew our membership by nearly 800 members,” said UFCW Local 367 President Angel González Irizarry. “I believe member-to-member organizing was key to our success. We were able to talk to workers about how the union would benefit them. We also built relationships with these workers. They became enthusiastic about joining our union and wanted more information. We quickly saw this enthusiasm transform into involvement at our recent hazard pay actions.”
If you are interested in member-to-member engagement and a development plan to build deeper relationships in your local, please reach out to your Region Director or contact the International’s Organizing Department at REProgram@UFCW.org to learn about the new and evolving aspects of the Reflective Engagement Program and work with one of our Certified Reflective Engagement Coach Facilitators.