Posts Tagged: UFCW Local 1167

FCW Women’s Network lobbied in Sacramento, Calif., for three different bills that support workers.

Last week, members from the UFCW Women’s Network lobbied in Sacramento, Calif., for three different bills that support workers. The women from UFCW Locals 8, 135, 648, 1167, 1428, and 1442 talked to their state legislators about raising the minimum wage, the “Fair Schedule and Pay Equality Act”, and the “Grocery Worker Retention Act.” The three bills address core work issues that workers and their families are facing everyday in the state of California.

UFCW members are supporting raising the minimum wage in California because no family who is working full-time should live in poverty. They also talked about the “Fair Schedule and Pay Equality Act,” that would require large food retail employers who have 500 or more employees to provide their workers with a two-week advance notice of their work schedules. The third bill is the “Grocery Worker Retention Act.” The bill would would mandate that any new employer who purchases an existing grocery store must retain the incumbent workers of the grocery store for 90 days.

Union members, clergy and more than 100 community groups gathered for a rally in support of UFCW members who are fighting for a fair contract at El Super grocery stores in southern California

Today, union members, clergy and more than 100 community groups gathered for an Ash Wednesday rally in support of UFCW members who are fighting for a fair contract at El Super grocery stores in southern California. Six hundred UFCW members have been working without a contract since September, 2013. In response to the company’s steadfast refusal to provide their employees with a fair contract, union El Super workers have called for a consumer boycott of the grocery chain.

El Super is a 49-store grocery chain in the American Southwest, owned by Grupo Comercial Chedraui, Mexico’s third largest retailer. Seven stores in Southern California currently are union, represented by UFCW Locals 324, 770, 1428 and 1167. The employees are working together to achieve adequate paid sick leave, seniority rights, guaranteed 40-hour work weeks for full-time employees and a fair wage in a new contract.

Unfortunately, rather than working cooperatively to meet their employees’ needs, El Super focused its efforts on persuading union members to vote out their union. The company held captive audience meetings conducted by El Super CEO Carlos A. Smith, pushing a decertification vote. The workers were not fooled. On December 12, 2014 they voted – by a more than 3-1 majority – in favor of their union.

After the recertification vote, the workers promptly asked the company to return to the bargaining table. El Super ignored, and then rejected that request. El Super’s actions, and its steadfast refusal to address the workers’ priorities, led to the call for a consumer boycott of all El Super markets on December 20, 2014.

The boycott will continue until El Super workers achieve their core goal of winning respect and a fair contract.

To show your support for a fair contract for El Super workers, please visit www.boycottelsuper.org.