Monthly Archives: March 2023

The UFCW will highlight pay disparities for women throughout the year beginning with Equal Pay Day on Tuesday, March 14.

Equal Pay Day indicates how far into the new year women must work to be paid what men were paid the previous year. Started by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996, the goal of Equal Pay Day is to raise awareness about the gender wage gap. Because women earn less, on average, than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. Women working full-time and year-round are paid 84 cents for every dollar paid to white men who work full-time and year-round. In the “all earners” category, women who work full- and part-time year-round and part year earn 77 cents for every dollar paid to white men. The wage gap is even greater for women of color.

Here are the Equal Pay Day dates for 2023:

• LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day is June 15. Without enough data to make calculations, this day raises awareness about the wage gap experienced by LGBTQIA+ folks.
• Black Women’s Equal Pay Day is July 27. Black women are paid 64 cents (all earners) for every dollar paid to white men.
• Moms’ Equal Pay Day is August 15. Moms are paid 62 cents (all earners) for every dollar paid to dads.
• Latina Equal Pay Day is October 5. Latinas are paid 54 cents (all earners) for every dollar paid to white men.
• Native Women’s Equal Pay Day is November 30. Native women are paid 51 cents (all earners) for every dollar paid to white men.
• Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Women’s Equal Pay Day is TBD. Asian American and Pacific Islander women are paid 80 cents (all earners) for every dollar paid to white men.

The UFCW is a member of the board of directors of the NCPE, which is calling on supporters to advocate for fair pay on those days. Please join us in supporting equal pay for equal work on March 14!

Over 300 grocery workers at two Meijer stores in Lake Orion and Macomb Township, Mich., recently joined UFCW 951 for a better life. UFCW Local 951 represents thousands of workers at over 100 Meijer stores in Michigan.

These new members, who are employed as meatcutters, store clerks and cashiers, joined our union family via card check because they wanted the same wages and benefits as their unionized colleagues at other Meijer stores in the area. 

UFCW Local 951’s organizing campaign included meeting with the workers on site at the stores and coordinating meetings with other unionized Meijer workers from surrounding stores, including union stewards, who talked about the benefits of being a member of our union family.

“Having a union at the new Meijer stores means that everyone comes together as a whole to support one another and work as a team,” said Jenny Hayton, who works at the deli at the Meijer store in Macomb Township. “We all play a role by signing up for the union to be recognized and joining together to advance common interests like wages, benefits, and scheduling rights.”