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Local 1208 Steward Training Draws Diverse Group of Members Eager to Be Active in their Union

DSC_0082On May 31, more than 80 UFCW Local 1208 members showed up to begin a three-day steward training. The training attracted 35 new stewards ranging in age, work experience, and language, signaling a new day for workers at the Smithfield plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina.

“A long time ago I worked in Mexico and I worked in a union. It was beautiful,” said Pablo Bautista Quintero via translation. “Here, it is also a brotherhood. People cross departments to join together. A union makes us stronger.”

Over the course of the training, stewards role-played and assessed real concerns on the floor, including extensive health and safety training.

“I was on the lines and going door-to-door to help get a union voice,” said Calvin Chesney. “I became a steward to get justice.”

UFCW Local 1208 Hosts DAP Immigration Session

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UFCW Local 1208 members hosted their first Deferred Action for Parents (DAP) session on Saturday, February 21, as part of the UFCW’s Union Citizenship Action Network (UCAN) program. In partnership with the AFL-CIO and the Latin American Coalition, community members and plant workers participated in the first workshop that is part of a series of immigration sessions. The event comes a few months after President Obama’s executive action on immigration that provided relief to immigrant workers, families, and communities. The DAP session hosted by UFCW Local 1208 is just one of the continued efforts to inform UFCW members, their families, and their communities about immigration opportunities despite legal challenges in states like Texas. The next session in Tar Heel, N.C., will be on Saturday, March 21.

For more information about DAP, visit the UFCW Immigration Guide site. If you are interested in sample documents that can help in this process, please contact Amy Gray at agray@ufcw.org. In addition, DAP flyers in English and Spanish are available on the UFCW Political Toolkit at www.ufcwtoolkit.com.

If your local union is interested in hosting a training or taking advantage of upcoming immigration training opportunities, please contact Eduardo Peña at epena@ufcw.org.