Monthly Archives: December 2023

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.

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

UFCW Responds to Debt Ceiling Deal

Local 791 Participates in White House Event

Local 431 Joins Rep. Sorensen’s Labor Roundtable

UFCW Members Help to Restore Workers’ Rights in Michigan

UFCW Locals Participate in White House Community in Action Events

UFCW Calls on Congress to Pass the PRO Act

UFCW Applauds the Reintroduction of the DREAM Act

UFCW Responds to President Biden’s State of the Union Address

UFCW Applauds the Reintroduction of the Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act

UFCW Applauds Passage of Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

UFCW Applauds Passage of Respect for Marriage Act

In 2023, the UFCW continued to protect our members on the local level through health and safety training sessions.

This year, the UFCW Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Office held its first OSHA 30-hour general industry class in West Berlin, N.J., for members who are part of the UFCW’s cannabis apprentice programs.

At the training session, 12 new cannabis apprentices reviewed OSHA standards and regulations to prepare them for their new and exciting workplaces. This OSHA training included presentations about the various hazards in the workplace, from active shooter situations to the importance of maintaining a clean walking and working surface. The class also emphasized both the rights of the employee and responsibilities of the employer.

The apprentices agreed that these kinds of trainings help empower them in the workplace. One of the apprentices said they “liked the focus and education on keeping those around us safe.”

Members of UFCW Local 540 traveled to Cincinnati this year to participate in the Department of Transportation “train the trainer” class, which was held at the ICWUC’s Center for Worker Health and Safety Education in coordination with the OSH Office. This training is targeted for workers at facilities where hazardous chemicals are loaded and unloaded and for covered workers, shipping and receiving biological waste. The purpose of this class is to develop and empower trainers that can share their vast knowledge and work experience with their communities, and topics include hazmat basics, chemical properties, and toxicology.

A UFCW Local 540 member who participated in the train the trainer class said that being a trainer is “what we do, all for our members to be safe.”

These health and safety training sessions are available to all UFCW locals. If your local is interested in working with the OSH Office to hold a training session, have your Region Director contact Roy McAllister, the director of the OSH Office, at rmcallister@ufcw.org.

Here are the health and safety articles that appeared in OnPoint this year:

UFCW Members Benefit From Health and Safety Training

OSH Office Holds First OSHA Course for Cannabis Apprentices

Help Keep Our Members Safe in the Summer Heat

OSH Office and Local 324 Hold Health and Safety Training in California

OSH Office Holds Health and Safety Trainings in Texas