Posts Categorized: Organizing

More than 35 UFCW delegates from UFCW Locals 75, 400, 655, 881, and 1546, along with international staff, attended the Coalition for Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) convention where they were keynote speakers and lead convention panels. The CBTU convention was in Chicago from May 2st – May 24th. The conference was opened by UFCW Civil Rights and Community Action Associate Director Robin Williams and the UFCW Minority Coalition took the opportunity to hold their executive board meeting during the convention. On the second day of the convention, UFCW International President Marc Perrone was the keynote speaker and Mannie Pratt from UFCW Local 881 led the women’s luncheon panel that honored women in the labor movement.

“Looking ahead, the work you all do as part of the CBTU has impacted so many. Through education, community involvement, and political empowerment, you are giving a voice to the otherwise voiceless. Everyday, it is changing lives, and it will help change the UFCW and other unions for the better. By helping African American workers unite, you not only make our union families stronger, you make every member’s family – whether they are African American or not – stronger,” said UFCW International President Perrone.

This year’s CBTU convention focused on how the labor movement can form stronger relationships and work with local communities and young activists. Panel discussions covered low-wage workers, politics, massive incarceration, and education. There were also workshops that focused on leadership, community organizing, representing the new faces of the workforce, and understanding racism. Following the convention, UFCW and CBTU chapter delegates were encouraged take the tools that they received back to their locals and communities in order to better serve current union members and help organize more workers.

At their office in Tacoma, Wash., UFCW Local 367 has been busy hosting and organizing phone banks to rally people across the state against fast tracking the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

Every Thursday, staff members from UFCW Local 367 phone bank for a few hours and then throughout the week, members from the UFCW and other labor unions drop-in to donate what time they can on the phones.

“The TPP is a broad issue that will impact every aspect of our economy and our workforce,” said Nathe Lawver, UFCW Local 367’s Communications Director. “Our Local represents retail workers in the most trade dependent state in the union. A bad trade deal that’s as big as this one has the potential to cause a lot of pain in our area so we started phone banking to help educate people and hopefully stop this unfair agreement from passing.”

Actions like this have been a crucial component of the fight against the TPP because Washington State has multiple members of Congress who are undecided on the issue of trade. UFCW Local 367 is hoping that their phone bank efforts will encourage more people to speak with their member of Congress about not passing unfair trade deals like the TPP.

“We can see from experience that when trade deals have labor and environmental standards that fall short, it’s American workers who suffer,” said Lawver. “What little we have seen about this secret agreement points towards the TPP being another pro-corporate trade deal with low standards. Anyone who likes to eat safe food, have a roof over their head, and work for fair pay needs to be actively fighting against the TPP.”