Posts Categorized: Member Resources

The new 2020 application for the Union Plus Scholarship is now available to UFCW members and members of their families who are students. Now celebrating its 28th year, the Union Plus Scholarship Program awards scholarships based on outstanding academic achievement, personal character, financial need, and commitment to the values of organized labor. The program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation.

Union Plus Scholarship awards are granted to students attending a two-year or four-year college, graduate school, or a recognized technical or trade school. This year, over 7,100 applications were received from 65 unions and all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories, representing an almost 20 percent increase in applications from 2018. The 2019 Union Plus Scholarship awards were recently announced, including five members and family members of our UFCW union. This year’s UFCW winners are:

Payton Amend of Soper, Okla. Amend, whose father, David Amend, is a member of UFCW Local 540, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Guadalupe Godinez of Chicago. Godinez, whose mother, Silvia Godinez, is a member of UFCW Local 1546, has been awarded a $4,000 scholarship.

Marisol Gomez Marrufo of Muleshoe, Texas. Gomez Marrufo, whose parents, Carlos and Christina Perea, are members of UFCW Local 540, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Brittany Martinez of Granville, Ohio. Martinez, who is a member of UFCW Local 1059, has been awarded a $3,500 scholarship.

Julia Walli of Lombard, Ill. Walli, whose mother, Jennifer Walli, is a member of UFCW Local 881, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

The deadline for the 2020 Union Plus Scholarship application is January 31, 2020. You can learn more about the Union Plus Scholarship Program here.

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).