Posts Categorized: ICWUC

On June 25, Cottonseed Co-op Corporation workers in Jonestown, Miss., joined the ICWUC. Cottonseed Co-op was previously known as Delta Oil Mill and was represented by the ICWUC until its bankruptcy and closing approximately five years ago. The cottonseed processing facility reopened approximately two years ago under the name Cottonseed Co-op, and the company rehired many of the previous employees from Delta Oil Mill.

When the workers came back to work without a union contract, they found that many of the benefits and protections they once had when they were members of the ICWUC were now gone.

These hard-working men and women knew they had earned and deserved better, so they reached out to their former union representative, Regional Director Ricky Lawrence, in early May. Lawrence sent them cards to sign to see how much interest there was at the facility and in a couple of weeks they had mailed him back signed cards for approximately 80 percent of the current employees. Organizer Ernest Perkins visited with the workers, and then contacted his organizing colleague, Lance Heasley, to come assist in the NLRB petition process.

During the petition process, the organizing team gave the company the option of having a neutral third party count the cards rather than go through with the NLRB election process. The company agreed to have a neutral third party and on June 25, the neutral party determined that 47 of the 57 employees had signed cards. The company then voluntarily recognized the ICWUC as the bargaining agent for the Cottonseed Co-op employees and agreed on a date to begin negotiating a contract.

The ICWUC is proud to welcome back these workers and looks forward to working with them in negotiating their first contract.

Members of UFCW Local 1208 who work at the Smithfield plant in Tar Heel, N.C., refined their skills by participating in a 32-hour Hazardous Materials Response workshop at the ICWUC Center for Worker Health and Safety Education in Cincinnati on July 8 to 11. The ICWUC holds health and safety workshops in coordination with the International’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Office.

At the workshop, UFCW Local 1208 Business Representative Aaron “Ace” Carter and Member Leader and Health and Safety Committee Representative Ella Ellerbe learned about the properties of toxic chemicals, regulations, and personal protective equipment.

“The training was very informational and specific. Because of the things that we learned, it allowed us to come back to our plant and compare the safety procedures that we learned to the one that we have in place,” said Carter. “It also helped us understand the importance of the guys in our maintenance department that have to deal with chemicals and how they play an important role in keeping us safe. We also learned of other trainings that we think will be very helpful to our local.”

Here are free classes available to members at the ICWUC Center for Worker Health and Safety Education:

32 hours of Hazardous Materials Response. (Session 1:  Sept. 30-Oct. 3 / Session 2:  Nov. 18-21 all in Ohio with 4 slots open) Participants will learn about the properties of toxic chemicals, regulations, and personal protective equipment. They will respond to a simulated emergency release, wearing a self-contained breathing apparatus or respirator and protective clothing.

40 hours of Department of Transportation Training.  (August 12-16 in Ohio with 3 slots open) This training is targeted for workers at facilities where hazardous chemicals are loaded and unloaded and for covered workers, shipping and receiving biological wastes.  This course is taught in a “train the trainer” format.

The purpose of these workshops is to make sure our members and stewards are aware of their rights under the OSH Act and union contracts and have the most up-to-date information about working with toxic chemicals and other hazardous materials. Scholarships are available so that members can attend these classes free of charge. To sign up for these workshops, contact Fernando Tapia in the OSH Office at ftapia@ufcw.org, (202) 466-1502 (office) or (202) 664-7995 (cell).