Posts Tagged: UFCW Local 655

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.

On May 11-13, all four of the UFCW constituency groups held a summit to lay out goals and strategize new organizational plans for the next few years. More than 20 members attended the summit to represent the different groups which include the UFCW Women’s Network, United Latinos, UFCW Minority Coalition, and UFCW OUTreach.

During the summit, members worked together to identify ways the constituency groups can help the UFCW grow along with recommitting to support locals unions by assisting in organizing campaigns, mentoring workers, and helping to amplify the voices of minorities and women in the workplace. Members also came together to create a civil rights agenda to better serve UFCW members. Another priority from the summit was for the constituency groups to strive to have a more geographically diverse board leadership with a focus in the South.

The constituency groups left the summit with four specific goals that reflect the larger goals of the UFCW set by International President Marc Perrone. For the next few years, the constituency groups agreed to create transformational change within their organizations by:

-Recommitting to better tracking and organizing constituency membership information

-Creating new relationships with community allies

-Serving as a resource for local unions by supporting their members and helping to grow their membership

-Playing an active role leading up to, and during, the 2016 election and supporting “Get Out the Vote” efforts

The constituency groups left the summit as a united force ready to empower their group members and serve as a resource for all UFCW members.

Kathy Finn from UFCW Local 770 attended the summit on behalf of the UFCW Women’s Network.

“The constituency group summit gave us the time and space to look critically at how the constituency groups can more effectively further the overall goals of the UFCW. One of the most important things to come out of the summit was a commitment from all of the constituency groups to work together on developing a broad civil rights agenda for the UFCW. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to develop our agenda further and present it the rest of the UFCW,”said Finn.

Pete Maturino is from UFCW Local 5 and is the president of the United Latinos.

“For me, the highlight of the constituency group summit was that the four constituency groups were able to come together and come up with a unified agenda that highlights the valuable role that these constituency groups play in our union. During the summit, I was surprised to learn from the UFCW political department about the lack of voting among UFCW members in the 17-35 age range. 2016 will be a very important year in politics and we came together to map out a plan on what we can do this election cycle,” said Maturino.

Tonya McCoy has been a part of UFCW Local 75 for more than 20 years and attended the summit as a member of the UFCW Minority Coalition.

“I’m excited that all four constituency groups came together to create a robust civil rights agenda and committed to promoting diversity within the UFCW. Following the summit, I was excited to come back to my local and inspire members to take an active role in our union. The constituency groups are a vital part of the UFCW because they are another tool that will help the UFCW to grow,” McCoy said.

Laura Kelley is an organizer for UFCW Local 655 and is the Vice Chair for UFCW OUTreach.

“It was a “think tank” of brilliant minds for one common goal, making the UFCW the best, most diverse, and powerful union possible! The in-depth discussions, ideas, and open dialogue were very interesting, and everyone who attended added to the dynamic of the energy of the summit. It was a great opportunity to share our needs and set expectations for the future of our great union. Working together as one group instead of four individual groups will  help push the agenda of becoming an all-inclusive union. Politically, our members and our communities can be a powerful force, and we talked about how to build coalitions around our issues and educate voters for the 2016 elections,” Kelley said.