Monthly Archives: May 2022

Hundreds of UFCW members, activists, and allies from across United States and Canada recently gathered in Las Vegas for the 2022 UFCW United Latinos Education Conference.

The conference, which centered around the theme “United Across Borders,” featured several plenaries and workshops on organizing, leadership development, social justice advocacy, and other timely topics. Participants engaged in conversations around issues impacting immigrant, refugee, and Latinx workers, and their critical role for the present and future of the labor movement. In order to promote language equity, 18 Spanish speaking UFCW organizers were recruited to facilitate multiple workshops in Spanish. This was the first in-person conference of the UFCW constituency groups while maintaining COVID-19 protocols.

During the opening plenary, Rigoberto Valdez, Jr., who serves as president of UFCW United Latinos, said he hoped attendees came away from the conference “empowered to tackle the work ahead with an understanding of the crucial need to organize immigrant, refugee, and Latinx workers.”

UFCW International President Marc Perrone delivered the keynote address.

“For decades, the United Latinos have spoken out and stood up,” Perrone said. “And while the difference any one of us can make may at times be difficult to measure, you must never forget the lasting and positive impact you have had on the lives of so many workers, Hispanic and non-Hispanic, especially over these difficult last two years.”

Perrone pledged additional funding for the New American Citizenship Fund to encourage more member applications. The fund helps to cover the costs associated with applying for citizenship for UFCW members who have recently become U.S. citizens and who have shown a commitment to elevate workers’ voices in their unions and communities. To learn more about the New American Citizenship Fund, click here.

You can learn more about UFCW United Latinos here.

On April 28—Workers Memorial Day—the UFCW honored the lives of fallen and injured workers, and called on CEOs and elected leaders to protect the lives of essential workers as the pandemic continues.

The latest data compiled by the UFCW show that among our union’s members nationwide, there have already been at least 505 frontline worker deaths and at least 131,295 frontline workers infected or exposed to the COVID-19 virus.

“For more than two years, amid an historic pandemic, over 1.3 million UFCW members have served as essential frontline workers, keeping the nation fed and the economy running in a moment of unparalleled crisis,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement. “Again and again, these hard-working men and women have continuously put their lives on the line. Tragically, tens of thousands have either been infected, passed away, or watched their co-workers and loved ones impacted by this deadly virus.”

“These workers – and millions of others, across all industries, who have sacrificed everything – must be remembered not just today on Workers Memorial Day, but every day,” Perrone added. “They deserve so much more than what they get from those in power, and it is time our nation’s CEOs and elected leaders take a stand for them and their families. In this moment when America’s workers are facing ever-evolving hazards, we must do more than just honor their memories and sacrifices. Those in positions of power must take the necessary steps to improve workplace safety, continue to mitigate the risks posed by the pandemic, reduce the threat of violence in the workplace, and protect those who have made life-changing sacrifices while serving as essential workers for all of us during this time of crisis.”

On Workers Memorial Day, the UFCW also held events to honor those who have suffered and died on the job.

The ICWUC/UFCW held a Workers Memorial Day service on April 28 at the ICWUC Headquarters in Akron, Ohio, to honor the memories of ICWUC members and all workers who lost their lives, were injured, or contracted a disease because of needless and preventable workplace tragedies. The family of the late ICWUC/UFCW President Frank Martino, who started this event in 1992, was present to place the wreath in honor of Martino’s tireless efforts to make every job a safe job and every place a safe place to work.

If your local attended or hosted an event to observe Workers Memorial Day, please share that information, along with photos, with Julie Anderson at janderson@ufcw.org.