Monthly Archives: February 2023

On Feb. 3, the UFCW announced its support for the reintroduction of the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act.

This legislation, introduced by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Representative Ro Khanna (Calif.-17), would provide essential protections to meatpacking workers across the country by strengthening worker safety provisions, increasing transparency, and supporting American jobs in an industry that continues to feel strains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Meatpacking and food processing workers risked their health and safety as essential workers every single day during the height of the pandemic to ensure American families had food on the table,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement. “While our union was able to fight for and secure many protections for our members, every single worker in this industry deserves the essential protections that meat and poultry processing companies are still failing to provide.”

“The UFCW stands firmly with Senator Booker and Representative Khanna as they reintroduce the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act,” Perrone added. “This critically important legislation will be instrumental in protecting workers, holding the industry accountable, and making our food system more resilient. Americans should be able to trust that the food they put on the table comes from American workers who are protected on the job.”

Every year in February, the UFCW joins with our partners and allied communities in celebrating Black History Month.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Black History Month dates to 1926, when historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans dedicated the second week in February as “Negro History Week” to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In 1976, the celebration was officially recognized and expanded by President Gerald Ford and every U.S. president since then has celebrated Black History Month during the month of February.

During Black History Month, we will pay tribute to civil rights and labor leaders and other prominent individuals in the African American community for all they have done to advance equality and justice. Not only will we honor and remember the past and how far we have come, but we look to the present and highlight those who are actively fighting for civil, human, and labor rights to ensure a better life for all. The International’s Black History Month virtual program will take place on February 28 at 1:30 p.m. ET and will revolve around the theme “Reflecting on Black Resistance and Black Resilience.”

Please visit our website and social media platforms throughout February to find the latest information about additional events and programming for the month. If your local has a member activist you would like to profile during Black History Month, please contact Julie Anderson at janderson@ufcw.org.