Workers at Southern Foodservice Management, Inc. in Hopewell, Va., recently voted to join the ICWUC by an overwhelming margin.
The 706 cooks, food service workers, and dining facility attendants, who provide essential dining services at the U.S. Army Garrison Fort Lee, were former members of the ICWUC and lost their union membership when their local was dissolved two years ago. Their employer, emboldened by the Trump administration, tried to hinder employees from seeking to rejoin the union.
In spite of these roadblocks, these workers were determined to reaffirm their membership with the ICWUC because they wanted the union benefits they had fought for over the course of 19 years, such as union healthcare and pension plans. They worked with ICWUC organizers to run a flexible organizing campaign that could adapt quickly to any changes or developments and secured a clear 82 percent vote in favor of union representation.
Winning a union election of this size in the South is particularly significant. This victory adds hundreds of new union members to the ICWUC/UFCW and represents one of the larger organizing successes for food service workers in the region.
“This victory illustrates the continued growth of worker organizing efforts across industries traditionally viewed as difficult to organize,” said ICWUC Organizing Director Jordan Easley.
“Victory is mine, victory is mine, victory today is mine!” said the workers in a joint statement.