Posts Tagged: UFCW Local 1564

Members of UFCW Local 1564 traveled to the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe to lobby their legislators against right to work.

On February 12, nearly 100 members of UFCW Local 1564 traveled to the New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe to lobby their legislators against right to work legislation. During meetings with key senators, UFCW members made the case that right to work would have a severely negative impact on New Mexico.

“Right to work would allow companies to lower wages,” said UFCW Local 1564 member Andre Leger, who works at Smith’s. “It’s an attack on workers who are already struggling to make ends meet.”

Annette and Mark Ayers, along with their adult daughter, all work at Smith’s and are all members of UFCW Local 1564. “Workers need to have a say in their own future,” Mark said. “That is why we are here.” “We work at a lower rate than the rest of the country and right to work would make wages even lower,” said Annette. “Our state simply cannot afford that.” Annette added: “We have a single daughter who works for Smith’s. She’s able to pay for her own apartment, afford a car, and get the basics in life. If right to work passed, she’d be living in our house.”

Several members talked about the importance of the UFCW being represented in the halls of the Captiol. “If you don’t say anything about how you feel, you almost always lose,” said UFCW Local 1564 member Alek Dewispeleare, who works at Smith’s. Fellow UFCW Local 1564 member and Smith’s worker Mark Sokolowski agreed: “I’ve been a union member for over 30 years,” he said. “No one forced me to join. I’ve been able to support my family. I won’t stand by and let career politicians take that away.”

Annette Ayers talked about the emotion of the Lobby Day. “When the Senator told me he was against right to work, my eyes filled with tears,” she said. “It gives you hope that there are people truly working for you.”

Workers in New Mexico attended a right to work training session led by UFCW Local 1564 to learn how much harm right to work legislation would bring to workers.

Last week, UFCW Local 1564 led a right to work training session for more than 100 New Mexico union members. At the training, members learned how much harm right to work would bring to workers in New Mexico.

For the first time since 1952, New Mexico’s State House is controlled by Republicans. One of the State House’s priorities going into the 2015 legislative session is to dismantle the rights of workers and pass an unfair right to work law.

“I currently work at Albertson’s and have been a UFCW member for over 40 years,” said UFCW Local 1564 member Eddie Burns. “I’m very concerned about the possibility of right to work in New Mexico. This will hurt our ability to stick together and bargain for the fair wages and benefits that we deserve. It just seems like a completely unfair law to both working and middle class families.”

To some UFCW Local 1564 members, right to work was not new to them. Paul Bolton, a meat cutter at Smith’s in Albuquerque, recalled how much worse his job was when he worked in Texas, a right to work state.

“When I worked in Texas I had the same job as I do now in New Mexico only I had less pay, fewer benefits and absolutely no job security,” he said. “The health care was even worse – when I had my child I was forced to pay an enormous amount out of pocket. It was hard to afford. If that happened while I was working here in New Mexico it would not have been so stressful.”

Workers left the training ready to stop right to work by lobbying their legislators at the Capitol in Santa Fe.

“I’m looking forward to lobbying in Santa Fe,” said Maria Ana Griego, a UFCW Local 1564 member who works at Smith’s. “Legislators from New Mexico should help people from New Mexico and they need to hear that from workers like us. Right to work just gives more to outside corporations. It’s workers who need more – not corporations.”