Posts Tagged: UFCW Local 99

On July 14, UFCW Local 99 janitorial workers at the Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Ariz., ratified their first union contract. The 250 employees work for a company called ISS Facility Services.  The contract was organized by a card check and includes wage increases, seniority provisions, as well as paid holidays. The contract is the result of a five-year campaign of workers fighting to have a voice at work.

“It’s been a long journey. I am very happy that we finally have a union contract and that we are part of a union here,” said UFCW Local 99 member who is also an ISS worker Refugio Diaz.

“It was a long battle but we finally have job security and set wages thanks to our union contract,” said Amparo Gomez from UFCW Local 99 and also an ISS worker.

Sky Harbor Airport parking lot and ground transportation workers and other units are already members of UFCW Local 99. The janitorial staff decided that they wanted to become union members as well in order to improve their jobs and working conditions. To help these workers become union members, the Local launched a global, political, and worker campaign to help them organize and secure a good contract.

ISS is a global company with headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark. UFCW Local 99 worked with UNI to visit their headquarters and call on the company to honor the global agreement for worker protections that they signed with UNI for the staff at Sky Harbor Airport. Following that trip they secured a card check and workers became UFCW Local 99 members.

Workers also had strong political allies throughout the campaign to have a union voice and ratify a good contract. The mayor and city council were open to meeting with workers when there were problems on the job. Then the allies on the city council would meet with ISS to address the workplace issues. This helped hold the company accountable during the organizing campaign and contract negotiations. 

Workers also stuck together and stayed strong throughout the campaign and negotiations. They held several rallies at the airport and were joined by local political and labor allies. They also wore buttons to show solidarity and worked together to sign up as many of their coworkers as possible.

“We are happy that now we can provide more to our families. We are really grateful that we have job protections and a better workplace,” said UFCW Local 99 member Farhiya Duh.

Workers at the Gourmet Boutique West food processing plant are celebrating a tentative settlement agreement with the company. Along with the workers securing their right to freely pursue joining a union without the fear of retaliation, the tentative settlement also includes the reinstatement of two unjustly terminated workers along with back pay. The pending settlement has been signed off by the company’s attorney and is awaiting approval by National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

“It has been rough for us here at the plant. We stuck together though and with the help of the great people at UFCW Local 99, not only do I have my job back, but my coworkers and I can now work toward being part of a union and making all of our jobs better,” said Yolanda Luna, one of the reinstated workers at the plant.

Workers contacted UFCW Local 99 about joining the union to help them improve working conditions, address safety concerns, and also calling to be treated with respect and dignity on the job. When workers and the UFCW began to work together to help workers join the union, the company responded by, according to NLRB General Counsel’s complaint, retaliating against pro-union workers and terminating two of them for union activity.

UFCW Local 99 then filed a series of unfair labor practice charges against Gourmet Boutique West with the NLRB. Complaints issued by the NLRB General Counsel alleged more than 70 unfair labor practice violations. Some of these were very serious including:

• Threatening employees with discharge and various punishments for engaging in union activities,
• Promising employees special benefits if they told the company about the union activity of other workers,
• Calling the police to remove union representatives and employees from public property near the worksite while they were engaged in lawful handbilling,
• Interfering with the formation and administration of a company union in an effort to keep UFCW Local 99 out of the plant.

After the charges were filed, Gourmet Boutique West then agreed to enter into the tentative settlement agreement that is waiting for approval by the NLRB. Workers at the plant and UFCW Local 99 will continue to work toward securing a union voice on the job, and a union contract that secures wages, benefits and respect and dignity on the job.

There are 50 workers at the Gourmet Boutique West food processing plant where workers prepare ready-made meals to be shipped to grocery stores. More than 18,000 workers who work in the grocery and several other industries are members of UFCW Local 99.