Posts Tagged: UFCW Local 75

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.

Members from UFCW Locals 75 and 1059 from Ohio traveled to the Capitol in Columbus last week to speak with legislators about passing laws that will make life better for workers and the communities they live in. UFCW members the state overwhelmingly support a bill that would increase the state minimum wage to $10.10. They also took time to talk to legislators about how harmful “right-to-work” laws are to working families.

“I’m here to support working people everywhere who need a voice,” said Matthew Brooks, a UFCW Local 75 member who works at Kroger. “ Raising the minimum wage matters to everyone I know. We see too many working people in Ohio who are struggling to pay rent and put food on the table. Politicians don’t pay attention to these problems unless we bring it directly to them.”

From SB-5, which would have curbed collective bargaining rights for public workers to the possibility of a right to work law, members in Ohio were aware how important it is to lobby.

“We have to take an active role in supporting elected officials who support us,” said Jeremy Clark, a UFCW Local 1059 member who works at Kroger. “I’m here to hold them accountable and tell them what our goals are. Nothing speaks louder than a face-to-face interaction.”

“Lobbying has become a necessity for workers,” said Whitney Williams, a member of UFCW Local 75 who works at Kroger. “What goes on in this building affects my insurance, my wages, and my future. People need to be involved and informed. If we don’t take the time to lobby, no one will take our concerns seriously.”

The vast majority of UFCW members in Ohio work at grocery stores. Their experience hearing daily about what people in their communities are going through gave their conversations with lawmakers’ added weight.

“I see so many hard working people not getting by and rather than just gripe about it I decided to be here so I could get involved in making life better for working people,” said Todd Ludwig, a UFCW Local 75 member who works at Kroger. “I want to see the minimum wage go past $10.10, $12 seems more reasonable to me. I challenged the legislators I spoke with to try to live on minimum wage to help further their understanding of how inadequately low it is.”

Another UFCW Local 75 member, Letitia Finley, who works at who works at Kroger, echoed Ludwig’s feelings about UFCW members advocating for every worker in Ohio.

“We are here to represent every worker, not just UFCW members,” Finley said. “Decisions that happen inside the Capitol affect so many people. We have to be here to make sure those decisions benefit us.”

As the day came to a close, UFCW members were looking forward to going home and sharing their lobbying experience with coworkers.

“When it comes to making our lives better, politics is an important piece of the puzzle,” said Josh Greenlee, a UFCW Local 1059 member who works at Kroger. “From right to work to the minimum wage, we need to make sure legislators know where we stand. I’m here to fight for my community and make life better for everyone in it. I can’t wait to go back to my store and tell my coworkers all about today.”

“This was my first lobby day and it was a lot better than I thought it would be,” said Local 75 member Whitney McKelton who works at Kroger. “I got to speak with my Senator about what’s important to me and my family. Being here made me realize how much legislators affect our lives. If they hear from workers it will make it more likely that the laws they pass will work for us.”