UFCW Goes to Netroots

A few of us will be traveling to the annual Netroots Nation conference in Minneapolis this week, to meet with progressive allies and bloggers and chart a course forward for the causes our members care about. For those of you planning to be at Netroots - or planning to follow along online - here's a quick cheat sheet of where you can find UFCW. Of course, we'll be around all week, so if you're in Minneapolis and looking to connect, tweet us @UFCW and we'll be sure to find you!

Thursday:

• From 9 - 10:15, find us at the panel on wage theft - "Stop! Wage Thief! How Workers are Getting the Money They're Owed" - featuring Carrie Gleason, co-Founder and Director of the RWDSU/UFCW Retail Action Project.
• From 3 - 4:15, UFCW will caucus with our brothers and sisters from throughout the labor movement at a Labor Strategy Session, moderated by Tula Connell and Paco Fabien. 

Friday:

• Friday afternoon at 1:15, we'll take a break from the panels and keynotes for a Fight Back for Good Jobs Rally with our LIUNA brothers and sisters at the Stone Arch Bridge, which spans the Mississippi and overlooks the I-35 bridge—a symbol of both the dangers of neglecting our basic needs and the possibilities that come with modern roads and bridges. If you're in the Minneapolis area, be sure to join us!
• After the day's sessions end, we'll be joining our friends from Walmart Watch for their "Accountability with a Shot of Netroots" happy hour, from 6-8 pm at Kieran’s Irish Pub, on the corner of 6th St and 1st Ave N. The happy hour will feature free drinks, fun beer koozies, and a chance to learn about Walmart Watch and how it can serve as a resource for the Netroots community.

Saturday:

• At Saturday morning's keynote session, UFCW International President and Change to Win Chair Joe Hansen will join an impressive panel of speakers to talk about "The Attack on America’s Middle Class, and the Plan to Fight Back." President Hansen will speak alongside Sen. Al Franken, AFSCME Secretary-Treasurer Lee Saunders, Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell, SEIU President Mary Kay Henry, and economist Bob Kuttner. The panel, moderated by Ari Melber of The Nation, starts at 9:00 AM. It's a discussion you can't afford to miss!
• Later on, right before the conference's closing keynote, UFCW will be hosting a Bourbon and Bacon Tasting - featuring bourbon and bacon made by UFCW members! The tasting starts at 4:15 - it's a great chance to learn more about the products UFCW members across the country produce. Don't forget to RSVP!

See you in Minneapolis!