Negotiating a Better Life for Our Members

UFCW members continued to stand together and negotiate strong, new contracts this year, and many members had the benefit of having a first union contract.

Members of UFCW Local 7 who work at the Green Dragon cannabis grow house in Denver ratified a first union contract in November.

In January, over 100 members of UFCW Local 328 at five Seven Stars Bakery locations in Providence, Rumford and Cranston, R.I., voted unanimously to approve their first union contract. These retail cafe workers are the first in the state to have a union contract that strengthens wages, increases benefits, and creates new workplace protections.

“I’m so proud of what we have accomplished and so grateful for the support of our community. I’m excited for how this first contract benefits everyone at my workplace!” said Stephanie Walker, a keyholder at the Cranston Seven Stars location.

Members of UFCW Local 400 who work at Solid State Books in Washington, D.C., ratified a first union contract in July that improves wages, benefits and workplace protections. The Solid State Books contract was modeled off the collective bargaining agreement reached with Politics and Prose, so while most first union contracts take well over a year to reach an agreement, in this case, negotiations were completed in only 17 days.

“We got here quickly, and we owe that in large part to our union siblings at Politics and Prose,” said Kiara Martinez, who works as a bookseller at Solid State Books and served on the committee that negotiated the contract. “While we are incredibly proud of the work we’ve done, our journey is only just beginning. It’s our hope that we inspire others to begin theirs.”

In November, members of UFCW Local 7 who work at the Green Dragon cannabis grow house in Denver overwhelmingly voted to ratify a first union contract that increases wages and benefits. The ratification was a significant victory for the workers, who are the first grow house unit to unionize under the new Colorado law that allows agriculture workers to form a union.

“I joined the union to make a positive impact on Green Dragon for all of my co-workers,” said Green Dragon employee Anthony Sykes.

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

Cannabis Workers in Ohio Ratify a First Contract

Giant and Safeway Workers in the DMV Area Ratify Strong, New Contracts

Cannabis Workers in Colorado Ratify a First Contract

Kaiser Permanente Workers in the DMV Area Stand Together for a Better Life

RWDSU Quaker Oats Workers in Iowa Ratify a New Contract

Hormel Foods Workers Ratify Historic Contract

Co-op Workers in Minnesota Ratify a New Contract

Cannabis Workers in Maryland Ratify a First Contract

Cannabis Workers in Pennsylvania Ratify a First Contract

TGTHR’s Chase House Ratifies First UFCW Local 7 Union Contract