On Sept. 4, the UFCW celebrated Labor Day by paying tribute to the important role essential workers play in providing services to communities nationwide and underscoring the power of standing together for a better life.
“Today we honor and celebrate the millions of essential workers – union workers – who keep our country fed and cared for every day,” said UFCW International President Marc Perrone in a statement. “While plenty of Americans are enjoying a much needed day off, many of our hard-working members will still be clocking in, ensuring that food reaches kitchen tables and essential services are provided to communities nationwide. Working people are the backbone of America. They have sacrificed again and again, and those in power, from the boardroom to the halls of Congress, should realize that the time is long past to honor and reward their hard work.”
“Now, more than ever, our nation’s workers – non-union and especially union – are realizing the power they have when they stand together,” Perrone added. “From grocery and retail stores, to the studios and auto plants, America’s union workers across every industry are critical to the future of this country. And as a recent Treasury Department report reinforced, it is unions that have proudly built and protected the middle class of this nation, which is a reality that cannot be ignored.
“For our UFCW members, our ongoing commitment to America’s workers and hard-working families is the reason we have chosen to stand and fight against a megamerger between Kroger and Albertsons – a deal that will feed already historic food inflation, and hurt the livelihoods of millions of union and non-union grocery workers across the country. This Labor Day, for the sake of all hard-working families, our union is committed to not only fighting this merger, but winning the fight to make sure every worker can achieve the better life they have earned and deserve.”
President Perrone also penned a Labor Day Op-Ed, touching on the renewed spirit of organized action reaching historic levels with approval ratings for the labor movement being the highest they’ve ever been in the past 50 years, and the desire for change that is driving workers to stand up to corporate power like never before.