Posts Tagged: voting

Workers at Bloomingfoods, a co-op with five stores and other facilities in Bloomington, Ind., have been standing with their community, co-op member-owners, and grocery workers across the country for a voice on the job.

Workers at Bloomingfoods, a co-op with five stores and other facilities in Bloomington, Ind., have been standing with their community, co-op member-owners, and grocery workers across the country for a voice on the job. Last Tuesday, dozens of workers and community supporters stood up for these courageous workers’ right to make their workplace better. You can also show your support by signing their petition online.

“When we tried to join together to change things at Bloomingfoods, our management wouldn’t commit to working with us to find a better way,” said Kaisa Goodman, a produce worker at the Bloomingfoods East store. “In fact, when we decided to organize a union, management responded by hiring an anti-union attorney to teach them how to prevent us from having a union voice.”

Workers and member-owners overwhelmed the monthly board meeting, and the company tried to keep supporters from coming in. Even so, the comments were completely pro-union and pro-coop.

Chaim Julian, a member-owner of the co-op, started the petition to get co-op management to respect workers’ rights. “Bloomingfoods is an important institution in our community, reflective of the basic values of many of our residents who are committed to social justice, equal rights, and sustainability. Let’s make sure Bloomingfoods adheres to these basic principles during this organizing drive.”

UFCW members must be prepared for the November 4^th midterm elections – 2014 cannot be a repeat of 2010. To help make it easier for members to engage politically, we have launched Battleground 2014.

Battleground 2014 provides information about the most important Congressional and Gubernatorial races. UFCW members will be able to use this site to find out more about the candidates and access important voting information and deadlines.

There is a lot at stake on Election Day this year. At the federal level, control of the U.S. Senate is on the line.

Republicans are only six seats away from controlling the Senate and seven of the most vulnerable seats up for election this year are currently held by Democrats. We must work hard to ensure the Senate does not fall into anti-worker hands.

Gubernatorial elections are just as important. Governors from Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, all of which spent the last four years attacking workers, are now up for reelection. They need to be shown that when you hurt workers, you lose elections.

Please share Battleground 2014 with your membership. Workers who are more informed about politics are more likely to vote and make a difference.