Elevating Our Members' Voices

Elevating Our Members’ Voices

From hosting congressional Farm Bill roundtables to supporting worker-friendly legislation, the UFCW continued to elevate the voices of our members in local and national politics.

UFCW Locals 75, 880, and 1059 played an important role in defeating Issue 1 in Ohio in August.

In July, the UFCW International organized a congressional Farm Bill briefing that featured UFCW Local 1996 member David Adams. The briefing called on Congress to support a worker-friendly Farm Bill that protects the over 21 million people who plant, harvest, process, transport, sell and serve our food.

Additional sponsors at the briefing included the Farmworker Association of Florida; Food Chain Workers Alliance; Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor (HEAL) Food Alliance; Union of Concerned Scientists; and honorary cohosts Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). These organizations led more than 100 groups representing farmers, food and farmworkers, labor, rural interests, agriculture, and environmental organizations in calling on members of Congress responsible for negotiating the Farm Bill to include pragmatic policy recommendations to support and protect food and farmworkers.

“I have worked in maintenance at the Pilgrim’s poultry plant for the last seven years,” said Adams. “The union workers at Pilgrim’s of Athens process about 1.3 million chickens per week. When line speeds increase, workers’ bodies suffer. That is why I think Congress should demand that the USDA ties line speed to worker safety in the upcoming Farm Bill. Meatpacking workers everywhere deserve a safe workplace.”

With help from the International’s Legislative and Political Action Department, UFCW Locals 75, 880, and 1059 played an important role in defeating Issue 1 in Ohio in August. Issue 1 was a proposed change to the state’s process for citizen-initiated constitutional reforms and would have made it virtually impossible for Ohio citizens to make changes in the state by increasing the vote threshold to 60 percent, requiring a higher signature threshold to qualify for the ballot, and eliminating a signature cure period.

UFCW Locals 75, 880, and 1059 were engaged in the fight against Issue 1 from its inception in the state house all the way through the election. When the early vote period started on July 11, the Ohio locals launched a member-to-member engagement program that worked to educate members about Issue 1 and turn them out to vote “no” in the August 8 special election.

“When I would go into the stores each day, so many of our members said they didn’t know we had a special election this summer or had never heard of Issue 1,” said UFCW Local 1059 Political Member Organizer Alexander Frazier. “After many conversations, folks said they were thankful for us being out in stores and letting them know how Issue 1 would hurt Ohio. I have been out with the union doing political work before, but this special election was a whole new experience and I really think our work made a difference in defeating Issue 1.”

Here are the political articles that appeared in OnPoint this year:

UFCW Provides Comment on Nursing Home Staffing Proposed Rule

Local 99 Hosts Town Hall With FTC Chair

UFCW Participates in Congressional Farm Bill Roundtable

UFCW Applauds the SAFER Banking Act’s Advancement

Locals Play Important Role in Ohio Special Election

UFCW Endorses Legislation to Strengthen Support for Farm and Food System Workers

UFCW Hosts Congressional Briefing in Support of Worker-Friendly Farm Bill

Local 540 Meets With Rep. Crockett in Support of Farm Bill

Local 431 Participates in White House Event

UFCW Announces Endorsement of President Joe Biden

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Goes into Effect June 27