On June 7 to 10, delegates from the UFCW attended the AFL-CIO’s 30th Constitutional Convention in Minneapolis, supporting the reelection of AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond and a range of resolutions covering major UFCW priorities.
“This convention demonstrated the unity and strength of the labor movement at this pivotal moment for our country,” said UFCW International President Milton Jones, co-chair of the AFL-CIO’s convention credentials committee. “We are thankful for the solidarity of the entire labor movement in advancing UFCW resolutions on AI, affordability, and corporate megamergers. Our union leaves this convention committed to continuing to invest in new organizing, stand up for immigrant workers, and fight for the safety of all working people on the job.”
During the convention, the AFL-CIO adopted two resolutions introduced by UFCW – Resolution 25, which urges federal and state agencies to oppose harmful megamergers that diminish worker power, and Resolution 26, which urges lawmakers to ban surveillance pricing and electronic shelf labeling as part of UFCW’s “Affordable Groceries and Good Jobs Campaign.” UFCW delegates also spoke in support of other resolutions that impact members.
“When employers can exploit fear, when workers are afraid to report wage theft, unsafe conditions or abuse, it drives standards down for everyone,” said RWDSU President and UFCW Executive Vice President Stuart Appelbaum, speaking in support of Resolution 4 regarding immigration. “Mass raids, detention, and the threat of deportation don’t protect workers—they silence them. That’s not immigration policy. That’s union-busting. This resolution meets that reality head on.”
“With higher union density, we will win stronger contracts, inspire more workers to go union, and raise living standards for all workers,” said UFCW Local 770 President Kathy Finn, speaking in support of Resolution 2 regarding new organizing. “All of this is only achieved by investing in organizing and going toe-to-toe with the massive corporations who dominate our economy.”
“The safety of our food depends on the safety of the workers who process it,” said UFCW Local 1473 President Jake Bailey, speaking in support of Resolution 8 regarding worker safety and line speeds. “The administration’s move risks taking us back to the days of Upton Sinclair’s ‘The Jungle,’ an era where terrible working conditions in meatpacking plants left workers sick and injured at alarming rates. Meatpacking workers have fought for decades to bring our food supply chain to where it is today, and we will fight to ensure their safety on the job.”
“When corporate giants don’t have to compete with each other for labor, they have the power to suppress workers in every industry,” said UFCW International Vice President Fallon Ager-Norman, speaking in support of UFCW’s Resolution 25 regarding anticompetitive corporate behavior. “We need strong corporate cops on the beat, standing up for working people, because who enforces the law matters. We urge all delegates to support this resolution, join the fight against corporate power, and take back our economy.”
“[Electronic shelf labels] only threaten to worsen the affordability crisis and are simply a tool for price gouging,” said UFCW International Vice President Regina Lambert, speaking in support of UFCW’s Resolution 26 regarding affordable groceries and good, grocery union jobs. “Our champions in Congress have already introduced legislation to ban these practices and we have introduced bills in a dozen state legislatures. People should shop and be able to know that they’re paying the same price as everyone else for the same product.”