Tacoma members say Macy’s proposals will hurt families

UFCW Local 367 members turned up the volume this week and voted overwhelmingly to strike Tacoma Washington Macy’s. Negotiations have been ongoing since January. The company wants to hire new workers at minimum wage, eliminate commissions, institute random scheduling, and reduce health care benefits with no guarantee of stable coverage.

Contact Macy’s in your area and ask them to bargain a fair contract in Tacoma.

UFCW Local 367 members vote to strike Tacoma Macy’s

Union members say Macy’s proposals will hurt families

Tacoma – In balloting that was held at the union’s office on Tuesday and Wednesday, UFCW Local 367 members voted overwhelmingly to strike Tacoma Macy’s.

Negotiating since January, members turned up the volume to let Macy’s know that a proposal that is aimed at keeping all the profits for the company while taking away every chance for workers to get ahead makes them see red.

The proposed contract is a package sure to unleash a perfect storm of conditions that will keep workers living below the poverty line with no way to climb above it.

Macy’s wants to hire new workers at minimum wage, eliminate commissions, institute random scheduling, and reduce health care benefits with no guarantee of stable coverage.

Working for minimum wage with no commission will drop workers with families below the poverty line. Macy’s is offering benefits to employees who work 32 hours a week, but they are only willing to guarantee employees 28 hours.

Men’s shoes is one of the few departments that will continue to pay a commission. Jeff White works in that department and wonders what will happen if a minimum wage employee comes into his department to work. “I’m judged on my performance. If someone who doesn’t work commission takes my customers, he’ll be taking my chance at commission. How’s that going to look for me?” he asked.

Macy’s plan is to take away commissions and keep wages hovering in the region of minimum wage, leaving no way for workers to share in any economic uptick that may be on the horizon. The company wants to give workers merit increases at the company’s discretion with no guaranteed annual wage increase for everyone.

“A store that sells designer labels and big ticket items needs to share the wealth with their employees,” said UFCW President Teresa Iverson. “Macy’s wants to be a minimum wage store while making and keeping the profits of a high-end retailer.”

Union members marched into the UFCW office in Tacoma to cast their ballots with an outcome that was predictable. Most members are unhappy with what Macy’s has been offering.

With the vote taken, the union will consider all its options and continue fighting for a contract that treats workers fairly.

300 families, 60 miles, 5 days: the march for justice at Shaw's concludes

Yesterday the 5-day, 60-mile march for justice at Shaw's reach its culmination, with a breakfast at Temple B'nai Brith in Somerville where State Sen. Patricia Jehlen and Rep. Carl Sciortino spoke to workers and reiterated their support for the strike, and rallies at the Massachusetts State House and the Shaw's at Prudential Center in downtown Boston.


Marchers joined with UFCW members from the area, as well as folks from the Teamsters, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Massachusetts Jobs wit Justice, the AFL-CIO, local firefighters, SEIU, and other supporters from the labor and faith communities.

They spoke with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, who offered words of encouragement, and marched to the Cambridge State House for the first rally of the day. The marchers then began the final leg of their sixty mile march, gathering followers and support as they marched triumphantly into Boston to rally at the Massachusetts State House.

Hundreds of supporters and union members gathered to hear the workers, members of the labor and faith community, and the Lieutenant Governor address the crowd, urging Shaw's to bargain fairly with the warehouse workers. Support for the workers was immense and widespread, as police, construction workers, truckers, tourists, and community members all cheered on the workers and promised not to shop at Shaw's.

The march finally ended at the Prudential Center Shaw's, where everyone gathered to picket and ask local residents not to shop. Community members were extremely supportive once they were told what was going on, and most turned away and promised to shop elsewhere.

Here are some video clips from the rally:

Shaw's March For Justice Comes to the Massachusetts Statehouse

On Day 5 of their march, the striking Shaw's workers have heard words of encouragement from Governor Patrick, George Noel, Senator Jehlen, Rep. Scoritino, and Rep. Provost.

Now they've made it to the Massachusetts Statehouse for a rally with Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray.



The culmination of the 5-day, 60-mile march will take place a little later on at the Shaw's Prudential Center in downtown Boston.

Shaw's workers keeping up the fight for justice

Day 3 of the 60-mile march for justice: About 45 striking Shaw's workers marched yesterday from Reading to Medford. On their way to Medford , marchers stopped at a Shaw's supermarket in Stoneham for a rally and protest to educate Shaw's customers about the company's unwillingness to treat its Methuen warehouse workers fairly. Marchers could see the Boston skyline as they were entering Medford.


Workers led a second protest at a Shaw's supermarket in downtown Medford before ending the day at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

Equal Time radio in Vermont interviewed one of the marching workers about the story behind the strike, in the hopes of getting the word out to Vermont shoppers. The worker talks about how the very profitable company cut off his family's health care benefits even though he has 3 kids and a wife who is 8 months pregnant. You can listen to the podcast here. And once you're done listening - share it! Let's get the word out about the kind of corporate greed Supervalu is showing.

Here's today's schedule:

DAY 4: Wednesday, May 26th—Medford to Cambridge
Start: 8:00 a.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church (147 High St., Medford)
Rally: 9:30 a.m. at Shaw’s (61 Locust St., Medford)
Rally: 1:30 p.m. at Shaw’s (14 McGrath Hwy, Somerville)
Stop: 6:30 p.m. at Centro Presente! (17 Inner Belt Road, Somerville)

What just happened?! Tuesday bluesday edition

• Over 300 full time manufacturing workers at the Mott’s plant in Williamson, New York were forced out on strike yesterday as the company, which recorded record profits this year, failed to bargain in good faith.
  
• The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that black firefighters in Chicago did not miss the deadline to file discrimination charges against the city over an employment test that they say disproportionately hurt their chances of being hired.
• The Inspector General will release a report this week detailing inappropriate, and possible negligent, behavior by the staff of the Minerals Management Service between 2005 and 2007. These would be the regulators responsible for overseeing drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the site of the continuing and catastrophic oil spill.
• The New York City Council is considering a living wage bill today for workers on projects that get public funding.
  
• David Byrne, of Talking Heads fame, is suing Florida Governor and senate candidate Charlie Crist for using the Talking Heads song "Road to Nowhere" without permission. You may remember a similar lawsuit involving one-time presidential candidate John McCain.
  
• Congressional leaders, the Pentagon, and the White House have reached a tentative agreement on repealing the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) policy.
• Here's a very informative post about maternity coverage under employer-based health plans, and how things will start to improve as provisions of the new health care reform law are rolled out.
• A Wal Mart employee in Kansas was fired for STOPPING a shoplifter?? Yes. True story.

Shaw's workers march on:

Three dozen Shaw's workers began the second leg of their 5-day, 60-mile journey yesterday at the Heritage Park in Lawrence, Mass., where the first day of the march from Methuen ended this past Sunday.


Throughout the 19-mile march from Lawrence to Reading, workers enjoyed broad support from passing motorists, as well as cheers from residents of communities along the route, many of whom put the "Don't shop Shaw's" yard signs on their lawn.


The third day of the March began this morning in Reading at 8:00 a.m. On the way to Medford today, marchers plan to stop at 12 noon at the Shaw’s Supermarket located at 99 Main Street in Stoneham for a rally and protest.

Be sure to check out http://www.ufcwaction.org/site/PageNavigator/Shaws/March for all the latest updates on the march and the Shaw's workers' fight for justice!

Why We March: Shaw's Workers Stand Strong for Justice

Straight from the mouths of Shaw's workers fighting for justice on the job:

"I am marching for all of us at the warehouse to get a fair contract with benefits. Right now I don't have health insurance and that puts my family in jeopardy." -- Jose Ortega, a husband and father of two who has worked at the Methuen warehouse for 12 years.

"I am marching to bring more attention to our struggle and hopefully bring Supervalu back to the table." -- Kenneth Campbell, a truck off-loader with 14 years on the job.

"I am marching to protect the health care benefits that Shaw's wants to take away from us." -- Miguel Farina, who has spent 8 years working for Shaw's at the Methuen warehouse.

These workers are standing strong for good jobs in their communities and affordable healthcare for their families. To learn more about their struggle, and to see what you can do to help, visit http://www.ufcwaction.org/site/PageNavigator/Shaws/March.

Striking Shaw's workers embark on 5-day, 60-mile march for justice

Yesterday nearly 100 people began a 5-day, 60-mile march from Methuen, Massachusetts to the Massachusetts state house to all for justice for the 300 Shaw's workers who were forced out on strike on March 7th. Today the marchers will complete the second leg of their journey, from Lawrence to Reading, stopping along the way to rally with their supporters. The march will end Thursday with a rally at the State House and a final stop at the Shaw’s at Prudential Center.


As Shaw's workers, their families, and supporters March, a coalition of religious leaders from across Massachusetts will continue to show their support for the workers with a rally and press conference at 1 PM outside the Shaw's at the Prudential Center in downtown Boston. Religious leaders from around Massachusetts have been very supportive of the strike from the beginning. Earlier this month, a delegation visited Shaw's corporate headquarters to discuss ways to resolve the strike, but Shaw's executives refused to meet with them and even called the police on the peaceful gathering.

Senator John Kerry, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and New Hampshire Governor John Lynch have all also come out in favor of a resolution to the strike that is fair and timely, and that keeps good jobs in the community.

Here is a list of today's stops along the march route:

8:00 a.m
Rally at Heritage Park
1 Jackson Street
Lawrence, MA 01840

11:30 a.m.
Rally at Verizon Call Center
20 Shattuck Road
Andover, MA 01810

6:30 p.m.
Rally at Saint Athanasus Parish
300 Haverhill Street
Reading, MA 01867

UFCW Local 481 President Luisa Acevedo Beaten by Police: Tell the Governor of Puerto Rico that Anti-Worker Actions and Police Brutality Must Stop NOW!

Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuno’s anti-worker actions have just taken a turn for the nightmarish.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that the governor has signed off on legislation outsourcing tens of thousands of public sector jobs and negating collective bargaining rights—now the police force has brutally beaten, and pepper sprayed UFCW Local 481 President Luisa Acevedo and her son, Frank Pizarro as they were peacefully protesting at a fundraising event for the governor. Both were beaten so badly they required hospitalization, though both have been released and are doing okay now.

You can watch the video of this unbelievable, terrifying scene here. The conflict starts at 1:36 of the footage. (WARNING: the video is disturbing, and does contain violence and some profanity.)

Please help us fight back, for Luisa and Frank and for all the working people of Puerto Rico. Send an email to Governor Fortuno and tell him his brutal anti-worker tactics are unacceptable and must stop NOW.

Things could not be worse for workers in Puerto Rico right now. The current economic situation is terrible, and the anti-worker legislation passed last year is killing more jobs. Governor Fortuno is placing the burden of the financial situation on the backs of workers and their families, and is preventing unions from doing anything to protect workers. And now this—the brutal beating of a union president and her son.

Enough is enough! Tell Governor Fortuno his anti-worker actions and brutality must end today.

What just happened?! Financial Friday edition

• After a lot of ado, the Senate passed a financial reform bill! The bill creates a “financial stability oversight council,” regulates derivatives trading, and give the SEC the power to regulate hedge funds. Now Congress must reconcile this bill with the one the House passed in December. Deja vu?
• The 300 Shaw's warehouse workers from Methuen, Mass. who were forced out on strike March 7th to protect their jobs and affordable healthcare are planning a 50-day march spanning 60 miles and culminating at the Massachusetts state house.
  
• Rand Paul's opposition to regulation by the federal government of almost anything has gotten him in some hot water since he won the Republican nomination for the Senate in Kentucky. Two of areas tripping him up: civil rights and the minimum wage.
• The National Intelligence Director (spy in chief) resigned today - no replacement has been named no far.
• President Obama, perhaps tired of waiting for Congress to act on climate change legislation, plans to issue an executive order to strengthen fuel efficiency standards for cars and trucks.
• Facebook is promising a fix to a privacy loophole that allowed advertisers user identification information and other private data.
• The President this week announced a new agreement to help struggling auto communities and workers, a development that coincided with the release of the first Annual Report of the White House Council on Automotive Communities and Workers.
  

UFCW Local 5 Organizes 100 New Members in Oakland’s Growing Industry

Local 5 has recorded a string of organizing victories across the medical cannabis industry in Oakland, Calif. in the first two weeks of May. During the campaign, the employers, all subsidiaries of Oaksterdam University, agreed to respect employee wishes for unionization,
remain neutral during the campaign, and allow the employees to sign authorization cards to show their union preference.



Around 100 new Local 5 members fill a variety of roles at Oaksterdam University, and its subsidiaries – the Oakland Cannabis Patient Identification Center and AMCD, Inc. At the Patient Identification Center, health care professionals and support staff evaluate patients and issue state identification cards. Throughout the rest of the company, workers operate two coffee shops, a nursery, multiple dispensaries and a gift shop.

“These workers are knowledgeable and compassionate, and work hard everyday to support their families,” said Local 5 President Ron Lind. “By standing together, they can ensure that these remain good jobs, even as this industry continues to grow in size.”

Joe Sestak Wins Pennsylvania Primary, with Plenty of Labor Support on His Side

UFCW members of UFCW Locals 23 and 1776 celebrated last night as the candidate that they worked for, Joe Sestak, surged to victory against incumbent Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter.

The New York Times reports that organized labor suffered a defeat when Sestak won last night, but for Pennsylvania UFCW members, BAC Local 1-PA members, USW 10-1 members, three APWU locals' members, and other labor groups and organizations, that's just plain wrong. Sure, some labor organizations endorsed Senator Specter, but others knew all along that Sestak was their man--the candidate for working families in Pennsylvania.

Kevin Kilroy, Political Director of UFCW Local 23, had this to say about the UFCW's decision to endorse Sestak:

Voters are tired of lukewarm politicians who are unresponsive to the needs of working families. Sestak has a proven record of getting things done in the House of Representatives. He seems to come down on the side of the average work a day person who is struggling to make ends meet. I think that the voters responded to him in kind.

And UFCW Local 1776 put out this statement:

Last night’s win by Joe Sestak was a great victory for the working men and women of Pennsylvania. Local 1776 and the entire UFCW family are proud to be a large part of his victory.

Our members told us loudly and clearly that it was time for a change in the US Senate. They know Joe Sestak. They like him and they trust him. They know that he shares our values and that we can count on him to stand up for what he believes in.

We decided to stand with Joe early in his campaign, and our membership supported us every step of the way. He’s going to be a great candidate in November against the anti-labor Pat Toomey. We look forward to working with Joe on a working families agenda that includes job creation and the Employee Free Choice Act.

According to many UFCW, BAC, USW, and APWU members, other labor supporters, and working families across Pennsylvania, the right person for the job won last night. Now all of labor will certainly get behind him and help him win that Senate seat this fall.

UFCW Members March for Financial Regulatory Reform

On Monday, hundreds of UFCW members were part of thousands of labor and community activists that marched in Washington, D.C., demanding lawmakers reform laws governing big banks so they can’t tank our economy.

The marchers went down K Street, home to many of the large corporate lobbying firms working to influence Congress to weaken proposed financial regulations. To learn more about these issues and get involved, visit: OurFinancialSecurity.org.

Small business owners believe strong unions help business

This week the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual Small Business Summit. The Chamber has a long record of lobbying against unions and labor law reform, and the group relies heavily on the tired excuse that unions hurt small businesses. Well, it turns out the small business owners of America don't actually believe that! American Rights at Work has just released a new survey of over 1,000 small business owners and self-employed individuals, and the results show small business owners and entrepreneurs are by and large in favor of workers' rights.

Some highlights from the survey results:

• 58% strongly agreed that "labor unions are necessary to protect the working person."
• 69% said it was very important to their business that "Congress enact legislation that rewards responsible employers who respect their workers' right to join a union."
• 72% strongly agreed that "a good business person can make a profit AND respect their workers' choice to form a union."
• 82% strongly agreed that "it's morally wrong for employers to fire or threaten employees for wanting to form a union."
• 54% of self-identified small business owners and self-employed Americans surveyed strongly agreed that "strong unions make the free market system stronger," with over 80% of respondents in agreement overall.

You can read the full study here, but the bottom line in, small business owners aren't buying the Chamber's anti-worker rhetoric! They know that unions are good for workers, good for our economy, and good for our country. Or, in the words of a Virginia small business owner: "Unions lift workers and workers lift the economy. It’s as simple as that."

What just happened?! Mini-Super Tuesday edition

Happy Tuesday everyone!

• The UFCW is leading a lawsuit challenging the unconstitutional and un-American immigration law recently enacted in Arizona, and we're in good company - the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are joining us as partners.
  
• Special shout out to Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Oregon, and Kentucky, where primaries are taking place today. Have you voted yet??
• Yesterday, the Supreme Court banned life sentences with no possibility of parole for juveniles convicted of crimes in which no one was killed.
• A quick roundup of the week's scandals (so far): Indiana Congressman Mark Souder has announced he will resign Friday after news of his extramarital affair with a staffer came to light; Connecticut Attorney General and Senate Candidate Mark Blumenthal has apparently been distorting the truth about his record of military service during the Vietnam War; BP seems also to have distorted the truth about the size of the oil spill caused by its broken well in the Gulf of Mexico... spoiler alert: it's bigger than we thought.
  
• Congress is poised to refocus on job creation this week.
• You might have heard that facebook recently changed its privacy settings. You might also have heard that a lot of people are freaked out about it. Don't let fear win! Check here, and here, for some helpful resources to help you figure out how to keep what you want private as private as possible.
• Staff members who were fired en masse from Central Falls High School in Rhode Island in February will be rehired.
  

UFCW Local 23 Members Make a Music Video

Seriously, this is awesome. Check out the video Local 23 members made to show their pride in their work at Giant Eagle grocery stores.

Great video from UFCW Local 23!

Giant Eagle Workers Rally for Good Jobs! (w/video)

Last week, Giant Eagle workers in Pittsburgh showed the company they deserve to share the success with the company, asking for good health care benefits and better wages as they go into contract negotiations. Workers and supporters rallied by the hundreds, singing and chanting and watching video and making speeches and just generally having a great time with their UFCW brothers and sisters, feeling the solidarity.

But we don't want to describe the rally--that's just no good. Let us show you what we mean.

UFCW Local 23 members rallied on Tuesday for good jobs in their community. This rally was all about showing solidarity and pride in being a member of their union--the UFCW.

UFCW Sues to Stop Enforcement of Arizona Law

The UFCW has joined with labor, community, civil liberties and civil rights organizations in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona’s recently passed immigration law, S.B. 1070.

The suit challenges the law in five main areas: That immigration is inherently a federal issue, and federal law has supremacy; the law encroaches upon the right of minorities to travel freely without harassment; the law has a chilling effect on the First Amendment right to free speech and assembly by prohibiting individuals from soliciting work in a public place; it requires law
enforcement to conduct investigatory stops of individuals without reasonable suspicion, violating the Fourth Amendment; and it singles out non-citizens for discrimination and enforcement in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment.

In conjunction with the lawsuit, UFCW President Joe Hansen released the following statement:

“We believe S.B. 1070 is unconstitutional, un-American and that it undermines our nation’s rich immigrant history. The law effectively legalizes racial profiling and sanctions harassment and discrimination. We are filing this suit to protect the rights of our members and all workers in the state of Arizona—and to uphold the values and ideals that make our nation strong.

“The UFCW has been at the forefront of the fight for immigration reform because we have seen firsthand the devastation caused by enforcement-only strategies – we’ve seen families torn apart, we’ve seen communities destroyed and we’ve seen workers rights’ shredded. We need a comprehensive overhaul of our broken immigration system at the federal level, not regressive,
racially motivated laws enacted on a state-by-state basis.”

What just happened?! His Girl Friday edition

It's been quite a week.

• Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (predictably, but still, sadly) signed a law passed by the state legislature cutting state funding to any public school that offers an ethnic studies program or curriculum.
• Jackson, N.Y. passed a law requiring all official town business to be conducted in English. Nearby towns are following suit, and the ACLU is starting to take exception. Will this cluster of towns be the Arizona of the east coast?
• In other Arizona-related news, the Los Angeles City Council has responded to Arizona's new immigration law by banning official travel to Arizona and vowing to block future contracts with companies there.
• If you're looking for something to boycott outside the state of Arizona, California workers have a song for you (hint: Lady Gaga wouldn't want you to get caught here). Seriously though, do your homework before making your next hotel reservation.
• MoveOn (taking a page from UFCW Local 1776's book) has endorsed Joe Sestak for the Pennsylvania Senate. Sestak faces newly converted Democrat Arlen Specter in Tuesday's Democratic primary.
• After much delay, anticipation, and amendment, the Senate unveiled its climate change plan, which includes a new-and-improved section on offshore drilling that is said to reflect "mounting concern" over the massive oil spill that's still happening in the Gulf of Mexico.
  
• Hmm, yeah, about that oil spill... it seems the Minerals Management Service, the bureau responsible for managing the country's natural gas and oil resources, gave oil companies, including BP (the company responsible for the oil spill) permission to drill in the Gulf of Mexico without obtaining the requisite permits from another agency that assesses threats to endangered species. Oh, and that other agency (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) repeatedly warned the MMS about the impact the drilling was likely to have on the gulf. MMS ignored those warnings, and the concerns voiced by its own staff biologists and engineers. Great work, MMS!
  
• At least someone is still trying to do something to protect the environment: the EPA issued new rules to curb carbon pollution by power plants and other big polluters.
• In a shocking blow to our nation's cultural patrimony, NBC canceled Law and Order. Will this prompt the release of WWJOD? bracelets? Did you correctly guess that the acronym stands for "What would Jerry Orbach do?"?
• The Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off for its last scheduled mission (we mention this mostly to distract you from the sad news about Law and Order).
• Wal Mart has agreed to pay $86 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed by thousands of employees in California who were never paid holiday or overtime wages.
  

What we're reading: May 14, 2010

As Facing South reports, hundreds of workers at Delta Pride Catfish, Inc. in Indianola, Mississippi may soon be forced to go out on strike to protect their livelihoods. This whole article is worth a read, especially if you're interested in the history of labor conflict in largely black parts of the south. But the details of the contract offer workers are considering striking over really merit a block quote:

"The contract would create a seven-day work week, delete daily overtime, double the probationary period for new hires to six months, reduce seniority benefits, give the company free reign in contracting out work, triple worker contributions to company health insurance over a three-year period, allow the company to withdraw from the pension plan with 30 days notice, and eliminate severance pay if the plant closes."

There are 8 concessions in that one sentence. Disgraceful.

What we're reading: May 13, 2010

The article that caught our eye today focuses on "the new poor" - people like Cynthia Norton, who after working as a secretary for over 30 years, can't find work in her trade anymore, can't get the help she needs from government agencies, and after putting herself further in debt to complete a medical assistant certification, can't even get a job in the supposedly booming health care industry. Her only option since being laid off has been to work part-time at a Jacksonville, Fla. Wal-Mart, a job that pays 1/3 her former salary.

And, if that isn't bleak enough for you, here's the quote that will sadly resonate with much of America right now:

“Sometimes I think I’d be better off in jail,” she says, only half joking. “I’d have three meals a day and structure in my life. I’d be able to go to school. I’d have more opportunities if I were an inmate than I do here trying to be a contributing member of society.”

The article discusses the structural unemployment that has accompanied the current recession - jobs we won't get back - and the lack of good policy solutions to help the long-term unemployed. There are parts of the reporter's argument we may disagree with, but what's clear is that with so many jobs disappearing forever - clerical and manufacturing jobs being two of the biggest categories - retail jobs are the jobs of the future. Ms. Norton couldn't find work in an office or in a lab; she didn't seek out a teaching job; she went into retail. With more and more Americans turning to retail jobs, and with retail quickly emerging as the predominant force in our economy, it has never been so important to make retail jobs family sustaining jobs - with livable wages, affordable benefits, and a prospect for future security.

Happy (?) reading!

UFCW Locals Give Nearly a Half Million to Rebuild Schools in Haiti

When the devastating earthquake struck Haiti earlier this year, millions were moved to make generous donations. Because of these swift acts of generosity, dozens of international relief organizations were able to act to bring the Haitian people their most basic and immediate needs— food, water, shelter, and medical care. Today, Haitians face a long road to recovery, but they are working to rebuild their infrastructure, their country and their lives.

Immediately after the earthquake, UFCW local unions and members from around the country pledged generous funds for Haiti relief. Contributing locals include 1, 5, 8GS, 21, 23, 27, 38, 75, 99, 108*, 135, 324, 328, 338*, 371, 400, 455, 464A, 540, 555, 648, 653, 655, 700, 770, 876, 881, 919, 1059, 1167, 1262, 1428, 1445, 1459, 1473, 1500, 1546, 1776, 1994, 1995 and 1996 along with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Workers Council and the International Chemical Workers Union Council; Regions 2, 4, 5, and 6; the District Council of NewYork/New Jersey, the New England States Council, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council and the Loveall Foundation.

Together, we raised more than $430,000. UFCW local unions decided to work together with two organizations: The Mortel Family Charitable Foundation and Hope for Haiti, both of whom are working to rebuild or expand schools in devastated parts of the country. According to a recent UN report, even before the earthquake, only 50 percent of Haitian children were able to attend elementary school. Of those, only 20 percent go on to secondary school. For children living in abject poverty access to any school is extremely limited. Through the Mortel Family Charitable Foundation, UFCW funds will support the building of a computer lab and library with complete furnishings on the second floor of James Stine College, a high school in St. Marc, Haiti, an area where thousands of Haitians have migrated since the earthquake. The school will provide quality secondary education to poor Haitian children who have completed elementary education in the city and neighboring towns and parishes.

Through Hope for Haiti, the UFCW is also supporting the rebuilding of a computer lab and library at St. Francois de Sales in the neighborhood of Riviere Froide, commune of Carrefour, Port-au-Prince. Before the earthquake, the school provided education to more than 1,350 students in the kindergarten, primary, and secondary levels. Carrefour is near the epicenter of the earthquake, and the school was reduced to rubble. UFCW funds are being matched by Hope for Haiti so that the entire project can be completed.

For more information about these organizations, please visit www.hopeforhaiti.com and www.highhopesforhaiti.org (Mortel Family Charitable Foundation).

If you would like to donate to the fund that will support these efforts, please make a check payable to the UFCW Charity Foundation, Inc. Write in the memo that the check is for UFCW Help for Haiti, and send it to: Help for Haiti, UFCW International Union, 1775 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006.

What we're reading: May 12, 2010

Harold Meyerson on how the deficit hawk philosphy can be contradictory and detrimental to our children - and what we can do to stop the damage:

"It is a mantra of the deficit hawks that they are working to ensure their children and grandchildren will one day have the same opportunities that they have had. But right now, in real time, those same children and grandchildren are having those opportunities taken away."

Introducing a new series on MyUFCW

Today we're launching a new feature on the blog. "What We're Reading" is a simple idea - beyond keeping you up to date on the major news of the week (oil spills! and filibusters! and elections! oh my!), we want to share with you some of the more in-depth, analytical pieces we read that are relevant to workers' lives. And - this part is just as important - we want to hear what you're reading! If you come across an article or writer you think workers should know about, send us in an email with "What We're Reading" in the subject line at submissions@ufcw.org.

So, to get us started, here's a New York Times editorial on why we need a national law to block unjustified insurance premium increases for people who buy individual health plans. The teaching moment in this article comes from California, where "Anthem outraged its enrollees and much of the public in February with a plan to raise premiums for individuals by an average of 25 percent."

Happy reading!

What just happened?! Monday is the new Friday edition

The news knows no weekend...

• President Obama nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagen for the Supreme Court seat Justice John Paul Stevens plans to vacate this year. On Sunday night, the prediction of this news became news. So, if your first thought when you read this was, "Who?" -- time to read up!
• It wasn't just any Sunday. It was Mothers Day. What did you do for the mother in your life? Some moms in Chicago used the occasion to urge an end to the gun violence that claims the lives of dozens of children every year.
• Meanwhile, Oakland A's pitcher Dallas Braden pitched the 19th perfect game in major league baseball history, dedicating the performance to his late mother, and his grandmother, who was in the stands.
• More news from Sunday: U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Taliban in Pakistan planned and financed the failed bombing attempt in Times Square last week.
  
• Paul Krugman singles out the only pertinent common thread connecting Hurricane Katrina and the oil spill in the gulf, and it's just too perfect to paraphrase: "the collapse in government competence and effectiveness that took place during the Bush years."
• Hmmm, remember when financial reform was picking up momentum in the Senate? That seems like ages ago, we know. What ever happened with that? Oh, yeah, Wall Street lobbyists are trying to kill derivatives reform, which would force banks to choose between trading derivatives (a high-risk activity) and enjoying federal deposit insurance.
• R.I.P Lena Horne. The legendary jazz vocalist died Sunday at the age of 92.
• At least 33 states will allow overseas and military voters to cast votes by email or fax in November, hoping to avoid some of the problems overseas voters faced in 2008.
  

Local Union Roundup

Here’s a quick rundown of what UFCW members from around the country have been up to this week:

Local 135 Members Feed the San Diego Homeless

Members of Local 135 John Reil, Anabel Arauz, and Ruvin Shore fed the homeless at the St. Vincent De Paul Village in San Diego, California. Local 135 President Mickey Kasparian said the local is “honored and humbled to give back to the community that has given us so much opportunity.”

UFCW Locals 21 and 81 stand in solidarity with Shaw’s warehouse workers

Members of Locals 21 and 81 took to Albertson’s stores across Northwest Washington on April 29 to ask their coworkers to sign petitions in support of striking Local 791 warehouse workers in Methuen, Massachusetts.

The UFCW locals and Teamsters Local 38 are currently in negotiations with Supervalu, the national grocery chain that is the parent company of Albertson’s and the Shaw’s warehouse in Massachusetts.

The group gathered more than 500 signatures in one afternoon of petitioning, and sent the petitions to Supervalu CEO Craig Herkert. In addition to the petitions collected, over a dozen locals from around the country have contributed financial support to the strikers and their families.

Find out more about what you can do at justiceatshaws.org

Local 1473 Signs Contract With Printer Cartridge Start-Up

Local 1473 signed a new contract with Union First Laser Technologies of La Crosse, Wisconsin. The company remanufactures and sells copier, laser printer and fax toner cartridges for most major brands, with a special focus on serving the needs of organized labor.

“We’re excited to have Union First as part of the UFCW family,” said Local 1473 President John Eiden. “Every cartridge, every copier they sell will be another UFCW member earning a good wage and good benefits from a company that is proud to be union.”

For every cartridge sold the company will donate $4 to charity on behalf of the UFCW. To contact Union First for union label cartridges, call (866) 203-8976.

Local 1428 May Day Parade

Members of Local 1428 marched in the Los Angeles May Day Parade. Check out photos from the event on the UFCW Local 1428 Facebook page.

What just happened?! Monday you can fall apart edition

It's May!

• Tens of thousands of immigration reform advocated joined together in cities across the country this weekend to call on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
• President Obama is also calling on Congress for a few things these days -- most recently, for a law imposing strict campaign spending disclosure requirements.
• The FBI is now conducting a criminal investigation of the explosion at Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia that claimed 29 lives.
• Florida Governor Charlie Crist is now an ex-Republican; he'll be running for reelection as an independent.
• A failed car bomb prompted the evacuation of Times Square on Saturday night; motive and responsibility for the attempted bombing are as of yet undetermined.
  
• The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to spin out of control; the entire region seems now to be in peril, not to mention the U.S. seafood supply.
• President Obama had this to say on the spill: "BP is responsible for this leak; BP will be paying the bill. But as President of the United States, I’m going to spare no effort to respond to this crisis for as long as it continues. And we will spare no resource to clean up whatever damage is caused. And while there will be time to fully investigate what happened on that rig and hold responsible parties accountable, our focus now is on a fully coordinated, relentless response effort to stop the leak and prevent more damage to the Gulf."
• Paul Krugman ponders what the spill means for U.S. environmental policy (bonus points for the witty, alliterative title).
  
• Civility really has gone down the drain in this country: a man was arrested for spitting in the face of a striker on the picket line in Methuen, Massachusetts.