This weekend, in statehouses and major cities in every state, 50,000 people came together to rally in solidarity with Wisconsin workers who have been standing strong against Gov. Scott Walker's attacks on the middle class. Another 40,000 followed along online.
From Washington state to New Jersey to Washington, DC, and in countless towns in between, UFCW members came out to send a message to Wisconsin: we are Wisconsin.
Check out these photos from the events:
And to see more photos from Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio, where UFCW members are on the front lines fighting to protect the middle class and working families, visit the UFCW's Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ufcwinternational/
Feb 25, 2011
UFCW Members Launch Workplace Sticker Action in Support of Worker Rights in Indiana and Ohio
Grocery workers and UFCW members across Indiana and Ohio, yesterday, began wearing stickers to work, with messages of solidarity in support of their union brothers and sisters fighting for workers’ right in the public sector. The UFCW is the largest private sector union in those states and the first to take the fight for workers’ rights inside the workplace.
The union members and grocery workers are wearing the stickers because they understand that all workers nationwide are under attack right now by Wall Street and the politicians they have in their pocket—most of all workers in unions. They know that unions are defenders of good jobs, and that where unions are strong they bring wages and working standards up for everyone. And they want their customers and the public to know that, too.
UFCW members know that most Americans are tired of the political rhetoric, and the media’s attempt to create false conflict by pitting private sector worker against public sector worker.
"My customers know we're union and they support us. By wearing these stickers we're standing up as a community against these attacks on working families,” said Carrie Frye, 20-year food service manager and UFCW Local 700 member at the Kroger in Speedway, Indiana.
To learn more about the UFCW’s efforts fighting for workers in Indiana, Ohio, and states across the country including Wisconsin, and how you can help, go to www.voteufcw.org.
The union members and grocery workers are wearing the stickers because they understand that all workers nationwide are under attack right now by Wall Street and the politicians they have in their pocket—most of all workers in unions. They know that unions are defenders of good jobs, and that where unions are strong they bring wages and working standards up for everyone. And they want their customers and the public to know that, too.
UFCW members know that most Americans are tired of the political rhetoric, and the media’s attempt to create false conflict by pitting private sector worker against public sector worker.
"My customers know we're union and they support us. By wearing these stickers we're standing up as a community against these attacks on working families,” said Carrie Frye, 20-year food service manager and UFCW Local 700 member at the Kroger in Speedway, Indiana.
To learn more about the UFCW’s efforts fighting for workers in Indiana, Ohio, and states across the country including Wisconsin, and how you can help, go to www.voteufcw.org.
Feb 24, 2011
UFCW Members - and a former Green Bay Packer - Lobby for Wisconsin's Workers
Yesterday nearly a hundred UFCW members from Local 538 and Local 1473 came from all over the state and converged on the Capitol to lobby for public workers. They had a little celebrity help from longtime UFCW friend (and friend to all workers) and former Green Bay Packer Gilbert Brown lobby with us yesterday.
Brown talked about about how his father was a union man. His message for workers on lobby day? "Stay strong and stick to your guns." His birthday was the day before yesterday, and yet he drove through the night in order to be there for Wisconsin's workers. So, UFCW members got him a birthday cake. It was the least we could do to thank him for his continued support of working families.
UFCW members who showed up to lobby said it was important to them to stand up for their brothers and sisters in the public sector. “I am proud to stand with
And his fellow UFCW member, Gregory Peters, Tyson Food worker and UFCW Local 538 member, was in agreement.“The attacks on the
UFCW Members are Standing Up for Good Jobs in Ohio
Here in Columbus, OH, UFCW members have been standing strong in opposition to SB5, a harmful anti-worker bill being pushed by Governor Kasich and Republicans in the State Legislature. SB5 seeks to strip public employees in Ohio of their collective bargaining rights. The Governor claims this measure is about balancing Ohio's budget, but we know this is just more of the same old partisan politics that has done nothing to bring good jobs to Ohio or solve the problems facing working families in the state. And we know that when public employees and their rights are under attack, we are all under attack.
UFCW members oppose SB5 because it
On Wednesday, UFCW also joined public employees, union members, elected officials, faith and community leaders, and Reverend Jesse L. Jackson at a rally for all workers, our communities, and our schools. Reverend Jackson and the other speakers gave truly inspirational remarks and energized Columbus workers to continue their fight to protect their rights.
In addition to calling and writing their state representatives and senators, UFCW members across Ohio are also sticking together with public employees by wearing stickers in their workplaces that tell customers to "Stand up for Ohio."
We'll keep on fighting this fight until we win it - in Ohio, and in states around the country where working families are under attack.
UFCW members oppose SB5 because it
- Does nothing to address our jobs crisis, and is just more of the same politics that distracts us from fixing our economy;
- Would take away the bargaining rights of hard-working firefighters, teachers, nurses and all public service workers who make our communities strong; and
- Is bad for taxpayers, since it puts essential services at risk of reductions in quality—and takes away the means for taxpayer accountability and transparency.
On Wednesday, UFCW also joined public employees, union members, elected officials, faith and community leaders, and Reverend Jesse L. Jackson at a rally for all workers, our communities, and our schools. Reverend Jackson and the other speakers gave truly inspirational remarks and energized Columbus workers to continue their fight to protect their rights.
In addition to calling and writing their state representatives and senators, UFCW members across Ohio are also sticking together with public employees by wearing stickers in their workplaces that tell customers to "Stand up for Ohio."
We'll keep on fighting this fight until we win it - in Ohio, and in states around the country where working families are under attack.
Feb 23, 2011
How Rich are the Superrich? Or, Why Many Politicians Don't Care About Dwindling Worker Rights and Growing Income Inequality
Mother Jones has an excellent article up on growing income inequality in this country--with great infographics on who has all the money (hint: just a few of us) and who doesn't (hint: most of us.) As the authors point out:
One of our only lines of defense left--one of the only institutions still fighting for the dwindling middle class--is labor, and that's why labor is under intense attack right now. The Wall Street types and CEOs like the Koch brothers are behind anti-union attacks like Scott Walker's, and they want nothing more than to crush unions for good so they can see a clear path to a total plutocracy in America. It's why in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, Rhode Island, Minnesota--all over the country, workers are rising up and saying, no more.
When you take a look at these charts, you'll say, no more, too. Then head over and read the rest of the article. Finally, once you've boiled over, head over to VoteUFCW and find a solidarity rally in your neck of the woods. There isn't one? Start organizing your own. Let's show our millionaire politicians and CEOs what we think of growing income inequality and their attack on the American way of life.
A huge share of the nation's economic growth over the past 30 years has gone to the top one-hundredth of one percent, who now make an average of $27 million per household. The average income for the bottom 90 percent of us? $31,244.Below are just some of the clear-cut, startling charts from the article. They make the facts very clear: income inequality in this country continues to grow as corporations make more and are taxed less, even as most Americans say it's unfair. And we're almost powerless to do anything about it as our disproportionately wealthy members of Congress vote for the moneyed interests against the little guy, again and again.
One of our only lines of defense left--one of the only institutions still fighting for the dwindling middle class--is labor, and that's why labor is under intense attack right now. The Wall Street types and CEOs like the Koch brothers are behind anti-union attacks like Scott Walker's, and they want nothing more than to crush unions for good so they can see a clear path to a total plutocracy in America. It's why in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Maine, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, Rhode Island, Minnesota--all over the country, workers are rising up and saying, no more.
When you take a look at these charts, you'll say, no more, too. Then head over and read the rest of the article. Finally, once you've boiled over, head over to VoteUFCW and find a solidarity rally in your neck of the woods. There isn't one? Start organizing your own. Let's show our millionaire politicians and CEOs what we think of growing income inequality and their attack on the American way of life.
Feb 18, 2011
Roundup: Fighting back against attacks on workers and the middle class in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Indiana
The middle class is under attack in statehouses across the country, but this week we saw working families rise up in Wisconsin and Ohio to fight back against harmful anti-worker legislation. The fight is spreading quickly, including to Indiana, where the state legislature has scheduled hearings on more harmful legislation for next week. Here's a roundup of what's been going on:
UFCW members were among some 30,000 Cheeseheads to protest Governor Scott Walker's anti-worker agenda for four straight days in Madison this week
Wisconsin:
UFCW members were among some 30,000 Cheeseheads to protest Governor Scott Walker's anti-worker agenda for four straight days in Madison this week- Video: tens of thousands of people have been rallying at the Capitol every day since Tuesday to protest Governor Scott Walker's anti-worker Budget Repair Bill and his threats to call out the National Guard on public employees.
- Now the word is out, via a report by TPM, that the Governor himself ginned up this budget shortfall specifically in order to undercut worker rights.
- Yesterday, Democratic State Senators fled the state in order to prevent a vote on the bill. Without a quorum, the Senate cannot move forward on the bill, and Dems have vowed to stay MIA until their Republican colleagues drop their assault on workers' rights. In the words of State Senator Mark Miller, "Our job, and the role of the legislature, is to expand rights, not deny them.”
- The protests have been gaining media national attention, including live broadcasts taking place on the ground from MSNBC and other networks.
- The White House and the DNC are now dispatching help to Wisconsin, and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was on hand for a noon rally today.
- Police are exempt from the Governor's bill to strip public employees of their bargaining rights, but they're joining in the protests in solidarity anyway!
- Even if you can't make it to Madison, you can show your support via solidarity actions taking place across the country, including a twitter petition, a virtual vigil, a Progressive Change Campaign Committee petition, a Cheesehead solidarity rally in New York, and a rally this coming Tuesday at 4PM at the Minnesota state capitol. If you know of more solidarity actions taking place today, let us know in the comments!
- The protests are trending on Twitter, so be sure to use the hashtags #WIunion #NotMyWI and #StateSOS (this one's for all state fights to protect workers) as you tweet your support.
- You can stay up to date on everything going on in Madison by liking the "Protect Wisconsin Families" page on Facebook.
- On Wednesday and Thursday, crowds of nearly 5,000 workers and supporters, including former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, flooded the Ohio statehouse in opposition to Governor Kashich's and SB5, a harmful anti-worker bill currently being considered by the Ohio state legislature.
- Yesterday, four UFCW members testified in opposition to SB5 in front of the Senate Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee.
- For more in depth testimony from a real expert, check out the testimony submitted by former Hamilton County Commission President David Pepper.
- You can show your solidarity with Ohio working families by signing this Twitter petition, liking the "Stand Up for Ohio" Facebook page, and tweeting messages of support using the #StandUpOH and #StateSOS hashtags.
- Stay tuned for more news on Ohio, as hearings on SB5 are scheduled to resume next week
- A hearing on HB 1468, Indiana's very own anti-worker bill, is scheduled for this coming Monday at 9 a.m. in the Indiana House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee (Statehouse room 156).
- Hoosier workers and allies will be gathering at the statehouse in Indianapolis Monday morning to voice their opposition to the bill. If you're planning to join in the demonstrations, plan to arrive by 8:30 to allow time for parking and security.
- Protests will continue Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday beginning at 10 a.m. each day.
- Right Now: Hoosiers can call their representatives at 1-800-382-9842 and email them to tell them to vote NO on HB 1468.
Feb 17, 2011
UFCW Members Testify at Ohio Statehouse on Anti-Worker Legislation
Four UFCW members will be submitting testimony today to the Ohio State Senate Insurance, Commerce and Labor Committee in opposition to SB5, the harmful anti-worker legislation being pushed by Ohio Governor John Kasich. Here are the remarks they'll be delivering:
Testimony of Mr. Don Watkins on SB 5
I want to thank Chairman Bacon and Ranking Minority Member Sen. Schiavoni for giving me a few minutes to speak here today on Senate Bill 5. I have read the articles about this bill, talked to my friends about it that would be affected and cannot see how this bill will help create jobs in our state.
I have worked at Chief Supermarket in Coldwater, Ohio for 16 years. I am the meat cutter in the store and I’ve been cutting meat for 36 years.
On a regular basis, I cut meat for the local fire department. I know that if our firemen had to take a cut in wages because they no longer had collective bargaining rights, they would not be able to shop at Chiefs – which is a locally owned store. They would have to drive 10 miles out of town to go to a discount store like Wal-Mart or Dollar General and, then people’s money would be going to an out-of-state corporation.
If our firemen or other public employees, like teachers make less money or lose their jobs, it is less likely that their dollars will stay in our community and create jobs in Coldwater. This effect could even cause a store like Chiefs to lay off workers or close. And, if it closes there would only be a carry-out store in Coldwater to serve the community.
Before working in Coldwater, I worked for a non-union store and I was not able to provide my family with quality of life they have now.
I am a widower, and my wife passed away from cancer. My son attends the University of Toledo. If I was still working at a non-union store, I know I would not be able to afford to send my son to college as a single parent.
My son is studying criminal justice and plans on serving our state by going into Law Enforcement. We all know that those who protect us daily need someone standing up for them to keep them safe on their jobs. I want to make sure that my son has the same type of representation that police officers currently have to keep him safe while he is out protecting Ohioans.
As far as I can tell, this bill does nothing that will help Ohioans and will prevent more people from achieving the America Dream of giving their family a better life.
I think we all know that people don’t become a teacher, police officer or fireman to get rich. These are professions that serve the public and people make a sacrifice by choosing those careers.
Lastly, my friend’s wife works at the local unemployment office. And, I know that public employees have made sacrifices over the past several years to help out with the state budget issues. They have taken furlough days and pay freezes. And, the furlough days amount to a pay cut. My friend’s wife is scared to death that if this bill passes she is going to lose her job. She is very passionate about her work – she helps those who have hit rock bottom and need a job.
If you pass this bill, you will only be adding to the Ohio unemployment line and you will be reducing the help for those job searching.
Ohio needs solutions to our jobs problems. But, SB 5 is not a solution. It will sacrifice middle class Ohioans and out of state corporations will be the ones to gain.
____________________________________________________________
Testimony of Ms. Bonnie France on SB 5
I want to thank Chairman Bacon and all of you for giving me a few moments to speak today on Senate Bill 5. I have never given testimony like this before and I am a little bit nervous. But, I feel like the issue of collective bargaining rights is too important to sit on the sidelines.
And, the one thing I keep wondering about is that this state is hurting for jobs and I don’t understand why the Honorable Senator Jones would introduce a bill that will kill Ohio jobs.
I grew up in Toledo and my mother and father both worked. My parents had union representation to keep them safe at their jobs. To be quite honest, I didn’t know that some workers didn’t have unions and the rights unions fought for, like employer provided health care until I moved.
I have been a Kroger employee for 38 years and I work at the Englewood store just north of Dayton. I work in the meat service department and I get to interact with Kroger customers on a daily basis. These are people who choose to shop at an Ohio-based store to keep their dollars in Ohio communities.
One of my customers, a teacher, was recently laid off. She is bilingual and could not find another job in our community, so she had to move to Arizona. I keep thinking of the other qualified teachers who could lose their jobs if they no longer had collective bargaining rights and what a sacrifice that would be for our children’s education and SB 5 could cause some qualified teachers to leave the profession altogether.
I am a single mother and I raised my daughter who now has two children of her own. I know that I would not have been able to provide my daughter with the same opportunities she had growing up if I had not worked at a union store that enabled me to make a living wage. I also know my daughter benefited from a strong public education that was provided to her by dedicated teachers.
Now my daughter is a small-business owner and she provides jobs in her local community. She would not have been able to start this small business without my support.
At my job one of my most important concerns is safety. And, I realize that at times people are tempted to cut corners to save the bottom line. But, this actually just increases costs in the long run if people get hurt and cannot work. If someone is hurt he or she has to be paid for disability and the business will spend more money to train someone else to do the job.
Recently, I had to bring up a safety issue to management at my store. We have a piece of equipment called a scissor jack that enables us to hang store displays. OSHA says that anything that goes over 5 feet people need a safety harness and we didn’t have one at my store. Because of my union representation I felt safe to speak up about this safety issue to management and this enabled me to prevent a potential accident.
Now, I understand that the state has budget issues and we need jobs, but taking away collective bargaining rights that enable people to have a decent wage, work place safety and a voice is not the solution. This bill is only going to put Ohio further in the red. If people make less, they will spend less and, people will move out of state to find better opportunities.
I hope that all of you can work together to find common ground and better solutions for our state because we need all your energy and innovative ideas.
Thank you for your time.
___________________________________________________________
Testimony of Mr. Doug Correll on SB 5
Thank you for giving me time to speak today to your committee on Senate Bill 5. I am very concerned about the effect this bill could have on our state and what it will do to the people who keep our communities safe, like our police and firemen.
Collective bargaining rights are a way to keep those who protect us safe at their jobs.
I have worked at Kroger for 35 years in Delhi, Ohio. And, I am proud to work for an Ohio-based company. My Dad worked at Kroger for 34 years and raised 9 kids and because of his job was able to send some of them to college or trade school – so that they could have a secure middle-class life.
I am the fuel manager at our store and I am responsible for safety at our fueling station as well as writing orders, our staff schedule and I keep track of all the banking for our station.
I am a proud member and steward for my union, the United Food and Commercial Workers. And, I take my responsibility as a steward seriously to make sure that agreements and safety standards are upheld to keep workers safe on the job and to make sure they are not discriminated against. This creates a better work place and helps employers reduce turnover which can increase costs by having to constantly train new, inexperienced people.
Now, not all companies care about experience. My neighbor used to work at Frish’s which is a restaurant chain down in SW Ohio. She worked there for 18 years. One time she forgot to add a coffee onto a customer’s bill and she was accused of stealing and fired from her job. After 18 years of experience and dedication to her job she was let go because of an innocent mistake. If she had representation that issue could have been resolved and she could still be in her job.
If public employees lose their collective bargaining rights how many could be let go because of a simple mistake? Then, their replacements will have to be trained and this could end up costing the Ohio taxpayer more in the long run.
I recently got married in May. And, my wife’s daughter lost custody of her two children. My wife and I have custody of a 2 and a 6 year old. There is no way that without my job benefits that I would have been able to take in two young children. If my wife and I would not have been able to take them in, they would have gone into foster care and that would have been a greater cost to the state.
I can only imagine that there are others who serve our communities as firefighters, policemen and education employees that have similar stories.
I want to leave you with one more example as to why collective bargaining rights are important and that getting rid of them is not a solution for our state’s budget and job problems.
My stepbrother is a Cincinnati fireman and he was injured on the job. The department had a brand new ladder truck and it wasn’t properly tested. He was at the tiller wheel and the driver went over a curb and he hit his head on the ceiling and messed up his entire spine. To date, my stepbrother has had 5 spinal operations and he cannot work. But, because of his union representation he is on disability and has had health care to pay for his operations. I worry that if my stepbrother didn’t have union representation that he would not have received the care he needs. Also, he could have become a burden on the medical system by not being able to pay for his medical bills, which just ends up being a greater cost to society.
I hope this committee seriously considers the potential consequences that SB 5 will have for middle-class Ohioans and Ohio businesses.
Thank you for your time today.
____________________________________________________________
Testimony of Ms. Karen Bedinghaus on SB 5
Mr. Chairman Bacon thank you for giving me time to speak today about Senate Bill 5 and the importance of collective bargaining rights.
I have worked for the Pricehill Kroger in Cincinnati for almost 24 years. It will be 24 years on April 10th. I am a customer service manager and I get to work with all walks of life on a daily basis.
I am glad that I work a store that has union representation. I know that I would not have been able to provide for my kids and send them on to higher education without having this job.
I also made the choice to send my 4 children to parochial schools. Without a job with a living wage, there is no way that would have been a choice for my family – it would have been out of the question.
I can only imagine that if public employees lose their collective bargaining rights that some of them will lose their jobs and will not be able to help their children. And, some of them could lose wages and benefits and may not be able to help their children have a better life – which is what most middle class Americans want – to provide a better life for their children. Isn’t that the American Dream?
I have friends that belong to the Cincinnati Police Department. And, I’ve talked to them about Senate Bill 5. They are strongly against this bill. They know it will undermine their work place protection.
And these are the people that put their lives on the line daily to keep us safe. Plus, most of them have worked for the police department for at least 15 years – making it difficult for them to try to find a different type of job.
I also know that if my friends lose their purchasing power, they are going to have to make tough choices on where they shop and may have to go to discount stores and those corporations are not based in Ohio. Kroger is an Ohio company that invests in our community.
I know you all have very tough decisions to make and that your job isn’t easy. But as you have heard from me and as I know you have heard from countless other middle class Ohioans – SB 5 is not the solution to Ohio’s problems. Thank you.
Testimony of Mr. Don Watkins on SB 5
I want to thank Chairman Bacon and Ranking Minority Member Sen. Schiavoni for giving me a few minutes to speak here today on Senate Bill 5. I have read the articles about this bill, talked to my friends about it that would be affected and cannot see how this bill will help create jobs in our state.
I have worked at Chief Supermarket in Coldwater, Ohio for 16 years. I am the meat cutter in the store and I’ve been cutting meat for 36 years.
On a regular basis, I cut meat for the local fire department. I know that if our firemen had to take a cut in wages because they no longer had collective bargaining rights, they would not be able to shop at Chiefs – which is a locally owned store. They would have to drive 10 miles out of town to go to a discount store like Wal-Mart or Dollar General and, then people’s money would be going to an out-of-state corporation.
If our firemen or other public employees, like teachers make less money or lose their jobs, it is less likely that their dollars will stay in our community and create jobs in Coldwater. This effect could even cause a store like Chiefs to lay off workers or close. And, if it closes there would only be a carry-out store in Coldwater to serve the community.
Before working in Coldwater, I worked for a non-union store and I was not able to provide my family with quality of life they have now.
I am a widower, and my wife passed away from cancer. My son attends the University of Toledo. If I was still working at a non-union store, I know I would not be able to afford to send my son to college as a single parent.
My son is studying criminal justice and plans on serving our state by going into Law Enforcement. We all know that those who protect us daily need someone standing up for them to keep them safe on their jobs. I want to make sure that my son has the same type of representation that police officers currently have to keep him safe while he is out protecting Ohioans.
As far as I can tell, this bill does nothing that will help Ohioans and will prevent more people from achieving the America Dream of giving their family a better life.
I think we all know that people don’t become a teacher, police officer or fireman to get rich. These are professions that serve the public and people make a sacrifice by choosing those careers.
Lastly, my friend’s wife works at the local unemployment office. And, I know that public employees have made sacrifices over the past several years to help out with the state budget issues. They have taken furlough days and pay freezes. And, the furlough days amount to a pay cut. My friend’s wife is scared to death that if this bill passes she is going to lose her job. She is very passionate about her work – she helps those who have hit rock bottom and need a job.
If you pass this bill, you will only be adding to the Ohio unemployment line and you will be reducing the help for those job searching.
Ohio needs solutions to our jobs problems. But, SB 5 is not a solution. It will sacrifice middle class Ohioans and out of state corporations will be the ones to gain.
____________________________________________________________
Testimony of Ms. Bonnie France on SB 5
I want to thank Chairman Bacon and all of you for giving me a few moments to speak today on Senate Bill 5. I have never given testimony like this before and I am a little bit nervous. But, I feel like the issue of collective bargaining rights is too important to sit on the sidelines.
And, the one thing I keep wondering about is that this state is hurting for jobs and I don’t understand why the Honorable Senator Jones would introduce a bill that will kill Ohio jobs.
I grew up in Toledo and my mother and father both worked. My parents had union representation to keep them safe at their jobs. To be quite honest, I didn’t know that some workers didn’t have unions and the rights unions fought for, like employer provided health care until I moved.
I have been a Kroger employee for 38 years and I work at the Englewood store just north of Dayton. I work in the meat service department and I get to interact with Kroger customers on a daily basis. These are people who choose to shop at an Ohio-based store to keep their dollars in Ohio communities.
One of my customers, a teacher, was recently laid off. She is bilingual and could not find another job in our community, so she had to move to Arizona. I keep thinking of the other qualified teachers who could lose their jobs if they no longer had collective bargaining rights and what a sacrifice that would be for our children’s education and SB 5 could cause some qualified teachers to leave the profession altogether.
I am a single mother and I raised my daughter who now has two children of her own. I know that I would not have been able to provide my daughter with the same opportunities she had growing up if I had not worked at a union store that enabled me to make a living wage. I also know my daughter benefited from a strong public education that was provided to her by dedicated teachers.
Now my daughter is a small-business owner and she provides jobs in her local community. She would not have been able to start this small business without my support.
At my job one of my most important concerns is safety. And, I realize that at times people are tempted to cut corners to save the bottom line. But, this actually just increases costs in the long run if people get hurt and cannot work. If someone is hurt he or she has to be paid for disability and the business will spend more money to train someone else to do the job.
Recently, I had to bring up a safety issue to management at my store. We have a piece of equipment called a scissor jack that enables us to hang store displays. OSHA says that anything that goes over 5 feet people need a safety harness and we didn’t have one at my store. Because of my union representation I felt safe to speak up about this safety issue to management and this enabled me to prevent a potential accident.
Now, I understand that the state has budget issues and we need jobs, but taking away collective bargaining rights that enable people to have a decent wage, work place safety and a voice is not the solution. This bill is only going to put Ohio further in the red. If people make less, they will spend less and, people will move out of state to find better opportunities.
I hope that all of you can work together to find common ground and better solutions for our state because we need all your energy and innovative ideas.
Thank you for your time.
___________________________________________________________
Testimony of Mr. Doug Correll on SB 5
Thank you for giving me time to speak today to your committee on Senate Bill 5. I am very concerned about the effect this bill could have on our state and what it will do to the people who keep our communities safe, like our police and firemen.
Collective bargaining rights are a way to keep those who protect us safe at their jobs.
I have worked at Kroger for 35 years in Delhi, Ohio. And, I am proud to work for an Ohio-based company. My Dad worked at Kroger for 34 years and raised 9 kids and because of his job was able to send some of them to college or trade school – so that they could have a secure middle-class life.
I am the fuel manager at our store and I am responsible for safety at our fueling station as well as writing orders, our staff schedule and I keep track of all the banking for our station.
I am a proud member and steward for my union, the United Food and Commercial Workers. And, I take my responsibility as a steward seriously to make sure that agreements and safety standards are upheld to keep workers safe on the job and to make sure they are not discriminated against. This creates a better work place and helps employers reduce turnover which can increase costs by having to constantly train new, inexperienced people.
Now, not all companies care about experience. My neighbor used to work at Frish’s which is a restaurant chain down in SW Ohio. She worked there for 18 years. One time she forgot to add a coffee onto a customer’s bill and she was accused of stealing and fired from her job. After 18 years of experience and dedication to her job she was let go because of an innocent mistake. If she had representation that issue could have been resolved and she could still be in her job.
If public employees lose their collective bargaining rights how many could be let go because of a simple mistake? Then, their replacements will have to be trained and this could end up costing the Ohio taxpayer more in the long run.
I recently got married in May. And, my wife’s daughter lost custody of her two children. My wife and I have custody of a 2 and a 6 year old. There is no way that without my job benefits that I would have been able to take in two young children. If my wife and I would not have been able to take them in, they would have gone into foster care and that would have been a greater cost to the state.
I can only imagine that there are others who serve our communities as firefighters, policemen and education employees that have similar stories.
I want to leave you with one more example as to why collective bargaining rights are important and that getting rid of them is not a solution for our state’s budget and job problems.
My stepbrother is a Cincinnati fireman and he was injured on the job. The department had a brand new ladder truck and it wasn’t properly tested. He was at the tiller wheel and the driver went over a curb and he hit his head on the ceiling and messed up his entire spine. To date, my stepbrother has had 5 spinal operations and he cannot work. But, because of his union representation he is on disability and has had health care to pay for his operations. I worry that if my stepbrother didn’t have union representation that he would not have received the care he needs. Also, he could have become a burden on the medical system by not being able to pay for his medical bills, which just ends up being a greater cost to society.
I hope this committee seriously considers the potential consequences that SB 5 will have for middle-class Ohioans and Ohio businesses.
Thank you for your time today.
____________________________________________________________
Testimony of Ms. Karen Bedinghaus on SB 5
Mr. Chairman Bacon thank you for giving me time to speak today about Senate Bill 5 and the importance of collective bargaining rights.
I have worked for the Pricehill Kroger in Cincinnati for almost 24 years. It will be 24 years on April 10th. I am a customer service manager and I get to work with all walks of life on a daily basis.
I am glad that I work a store that has union representation. I know that I would not have been able to provide for my kids and send them on to higher education without having this job.
I also made the choice to send my 4 children to parochial schools. Without a job with a living wage, there is no way that would have been a choice for my family – it would have been out of the question.
I can only imagine that if public employees lose their collective bargaining rights that some of them will lose their jobs and will not be able to help their children. And, some of them could lose wages and benefits and may not be able to help their children have a better life – which is what most middle class Americans want – to provide a better life for their children. Isn’t that the American Dream?
I have friends that belong to the Cincinnati Police Department. And, I’ve talked to them about Senate Bill 5. They are strongly against this bill. They know it will undermine their work place protection.
And these are the people that put their lives on the line daily to keep us safe. Plus, most of them have worked for the police department for at least 15 years – making it difficult for them to try to find a different type of job.
I also know that if my friends lose their purchasing power, they are going to have to make tough choices on where they shop and may have to go to discount stores and those corporations are not based in Ohio. Kroger is an Ohio company that invests in our community.
I know you all have very tough decisions to make and that your job isn’t easy. But as you have heard from me and as I know you have heard from countless other middle class Ohioans – SB 5 is not the solution to Ohio’s problems. Thank you.
Feb 16, 2011
Shame on Whole Foods: Demanding Tax Breaks to Open DC Store--While Ordinary Americans Struggle to Make Ends Meet?
Yesterday’s Washington Post noted that Whole Foods is demanding $8 million in tax breaks to open a new store in Southeast D.C. At the time of D.C.’s worst budget crisis in decades, a company that had a 61% increase in profits for the first quarter of this year and more than $9 billion in sales last year is telling us they need D.C. government funds more than children and the needy.
There has been outrage across America over government handouts to banks and large corporations. Funding to save failing companies has been derided as “socialism”. But where is the outrage when a large profitable and successful out-of-town company demands tax breaks in order to do business with D.C. residents?
Whole Foods clearly doesn’t need our help, especially when we are cutting back in every area of government spending. Let’s use our limited and precious public resources to help those that need it most, rather than padding the bottom lines of huge corporations.
At times like this, everyone should share in the sacrifice. Including the very profitable Whole Foods. After all, that's the right thing to do.
Charlie Hayes: Labor Visionary, Civil Rights Champion, Public Servant, and a UFCW Legend
When Charlie Hayes left the UFCW in 1983 to take his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, he left the union, and the entire labor movement, exponentially richer and far more just than the day he began organizing at his hardwood flooring plant in Cairo, Ill., some 50 years before.
By the time he was in his twenties, Charlie Hayes was organizing his brothers and sisters and leading them as president of Local 1424 of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. Luckily for the UFCW, Hayes took his organizing savvy to Chicago’s South Side in the 1940s, where he organized meatpacking workers as part of the United Packinghouse Workers Association, and was a key figure in desegregating the plants and securing equal pay for black workers.
Hayes played a leading role in the historic Packinghouse Workers strike of 1949, and by 1954 had been elected to the executive board of the UPWA. But his work in Chicago extended beyond his local union hall. In the 1960s, he organized and served as the chairman of the Black Labor Leaders of Chicago, a group that worked to provide union training programs for black workers.
Hayes was an early mentor of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, and a long-time ally of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He rallied support for Dr. King in the 1965 Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1966 campaign for open housing in Chicago.
Hayes’s comprehensive approach to social justice was one of his hallmarks: “I have tried to be concerned with the total welfare of our members – not only in the shops and plants – but from the standpoint of their social, political and cultural lives as well. This means, wherever they live – or would like to live.”
Hayes was one of the founders of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, formed in 1972, and key a figure in the establishment of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, now called the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which coordinates collective activities of civil rights, labor, and religious groups.
In 1968, when the UPWA merged with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, Hayes became an International Vice President and the director of Region 12, which included Michigan, Indiana, downstate Illinois, and parts of Chicago. He served an an IVP until 1983, when he took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he represented Illinois’s first district for nearly a decade. He was the first labor leader to represent the district and he felt strongly that it was “important for trade unionists to have an opportunity to go into the halls of Congress.”
As the then-mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington, put it, Charlie Hayes showed “unparalleled leadership and ability to unite blacks, whites, and Hispanics into organized coalitions fighting for economic, political, and social justice.” The UFCW is proud to call this legend one of our own.
By the time he was in his twenties, Charlie Hayes was organizing his brothers and sisters and leading them as president of Local 1424 of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. Luckily for the UFCW, Hayes took his organizing savvy to Chicago’s South Side in the 1940s, where he organized meatpacking workers as part of the United Packinghouse Workers Association, and was a key figure in desegregating the plants and securing equal pay for black workers.Hayes played a leading role in the historic Packinghouse Workers strike of 1949, and by 1954 had been elected to the executive board of the UPWA. But his work in Chicago extended beyond his local union hall. In the 1960s, he organized and served as the chairman of the Black Labor Leaders of Chicago, a group that worked to provide union training programs for black workers.
Hayes was an early mentor of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, and a long-time ally of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He rallied support for Dr. King in the 1965 Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott, the 1963 March on Washington, and the 1966 campaign for open housing in Chicago.
Hayes’s comprehensive approach to social justice was one of his hallmarks: “I have tried to be concerned with the total welfare of our members – not only in the shops and plants – but from the standpoint of their social, political and cultural lives as well. This means, wherever they live – or would like to live.”
Hayes was one of the founders of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, formed in 1972, and key a figure in the establishment of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, now called the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, which coordinates collective activities of civil rights, labor, and religious groups.
In 1968, when the UPWA merged with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, Hayes became an International Vice President and the director of Region 12, which included Michigan, Indiana, downstate Illinois, and parts of Chicago. He served an an IVP until 1983, when he took his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he represented Illinois’s first district for nearly a decade. He was the first labor leader to represent the district and he felt strongly that it was “important for trade unionists to have an opportunity to go into the halls of Congress.”
As the then-mayor of Chicago, Harold Washington, put it, Charlie Hayes showed “unparalleled leadership and ability to unite blacks, whites, and Hispanics into organized coalitions fighting for economic, political, and social justice.” The UFCW is proud to call this legend one of our own.
Wisconsin Roundup: Working Families, Superbowl Champs Fight Back Against Attacks on the Middle Class
Yesterday, tens of thousands of people joined together at the Wisconsin state capitol to protest Governor Scott Walker's damaging proposal to strip state employees of their collective bargaining rights and his outrageous threat to call out the National Guard in the event that state workers strike or rise up in protest. The draconian measure is set to be voted on as early as tomorrow, and emergency lobby days and rallies are continuing throughout the day today.
Here's a roundup of news about yesterday's impressive response to Governor Walker's anti-worker agenda:
Here's a roundup of news about yesterday's impressive response to Governor Walker's anti-worker agenda:- Current and former members of the publicly owned 2011 Superbowl champions, the Green Bay Packers, issues a statement of support and solidarity with Wisconsin public employees, urging the Governor and the State Legislature NOT to take away their rights.
- Check out this video of more than 10,000 protesters taking on the Governor.
- Melissa Ryan has a great twitter feed with live updates about the actions, including some amazing pictures. You can also follower her list of bloggers covering the protests, and her Wisconsin unions and allies list.
- Madison students walked out of school to protest the cuts and some walked nearly 3 miles to the capitol to join the demonstrations. After the marathon hearing on the bill (which lasted until 3 a.m.), many students spent the night in the capitol in solidarity. Today Madison schools are closed district-wide, as students and teachers flock to the capitol to make their voices heard.
- Reporters all over the country are taking note of the Wisconsin uprising, including the Washington Post's Harold Meyerson, who writes in his column today that, "Workers toppled a dictator in Egypt, but might be silenced in Wisconsin."
- Here's a great set of photos of yesterday's protests - more to come!
Feb 11, 2011
UFCW Commemorates Black History Month: Celebrating Our Own
When Addie Wyatt went to work at the Armour plant in Chicago in 1941, she applied for a job as a typist. But at the time, Armour didn’t hire black people to work in its front offices. Instead, she was assigned to the canning department, putting lids on army stew. “If you got hired as a white typist,” she explained, “you might make $17 or $18 dollars a week. If you were black with a fair complexion, you might have made about $12. If you were black like me, and got hired at all, you would earn somewhere around $8 or $10 dollars a week.”
But, thanks to the union contract between Armour and United Packinghouse Workers, her contract meant she would earn more working on the packinghouse floor in three days than she would have made in a week working in the front office as a secretary. So she decided to accept the job—even though that wasn’t the position she applied for—and subsequently became an active member of the UPW.
In the early 1950s, Wyatt was elected as vice president of her local union, UPW Local P-56, and was soon elected President. The next year, she left her job at the packinghouse to work full time for the union fighting against discrimination for both women and people of color.
In her efforts to improve contract terms and on behalf of workers, Wyatt said she often found herself fighting on three fronts. “I was a woman, and a black woman at that,” she says, “so I was fighting on behalf of workers, fighting as a black, and fighting as a female.”
Because of their large, activist membership, UPW was able to wield real power at the bargaining table, and they were able to use their power to benefit society. UPW was deeply involved in Chicago’s community-based struggle for racial equality.
In many ways, the UPW was a union ahead of its time when it came to equal rights for black workers and women. It was the policy of UPW to try to eliminate unfair practices like discrimination against black people and women in hiring and wages. Wyatt and her fellow union negotiators were able to get “equal pay for equal work” written into many UPW contracts well before the Equal Pay Act of 1963.
Wyatt became deeply involved with the ministry and civil rights campaign of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and became labor adviser to King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). She was a leading civil rights campaigner in Chicago during the 1960s, serving on the Action Committee of the Chicago Freedom Movement and organizing protests. Wyatt and her husband also worked with Rev. Jesse Jackson in helping to found Operation Breadbasket, which distributed food to underprivileged people in 12 American cities, in 1962. Wyatt later became involved in its successor, P.U.S.H. (People United to Serve Humanity).
Wyatt was a founding member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), the first woman International Vice President of Amalgamated Meat Cutters, and went on to be the first woman of color to serve on the board of the UFCW after its formation in 1979. She is also a recipient of the UFCW’s Women’s Network’s Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award.
UFCW is proud to call Addie Wyatt - an inspiring, pioneering union activist - one of our own.
But, thanks to the union contract between Armour and United Packinghouse Workers, her contract meant she would earn more working on the packinghouse floor in three days than she would have made in a week working in the front office as a secretary. So she decided to accept the job—even though that wasn’t the position she applied for—and subsequently became an active member of the UPW.
In the early 1950s, Wyatt was elected as vice president of her local union, UPW Local P-56, and was soon elected President. The next year, she left her job at the packinghouse to work full time for the union fighting against discrimination for both women and people of color.
In her efforts to improve contract terms and on behalf of workers, Wyatt said she often found herself fighting on three fronts. “I was a woman, and a black woman at that,” she says, “so I was fighting on behalf of workers, fighting as a black, and fighting as a female.”
Because of their large, activist membership, UPW was able to wield real power at the bargaining table, and they were able to use their power to benefit society. UPW was deeply involved in Chicago’s community-based struggle for racial equality.
In many ways, the UPW was a union ahead of its time when it came to equal rights for black workers and women. It was the policy of UPW to try to eliminate unfair practices like discrimination against black people and women in hiring and wages. Wyatt and her fellow union negotiators were able to get “equal pay for equal work” written into many UPW contracts well before the Equal Pay Act of 1963.
Wyatt became deeply involved with the ministry and civil rights campaign of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and became labor adviser to King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). She was a leading civil rights campaigner in Chicago during the 1960s, serving on the Action Committee of the Chicago Freedom Movement and organizing protests. Wyatt and her husband also worked with Rev. Jesse Jackson in helping to found Operation Breadbasket, which distributed food to underprivileged people in 12 American cities, in 1962. Wyatt later became involved in its successor, P.U.S.H. (People United to Serve Humanity).
Wyatt was a founding member of the Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), the first woman International Vice President of Amalgamated Meat Cutters, and went on to be the first woman of color to serve on the board of the UFCW after its formation in 1979. She is also a recipient of the UFCW’s Women’s Network’s Trailblazer Lifetime Achievement Award.
UFCW is proud to call Addie Wyatt - an inspiring, pioneering union activist - one of our own.
Feb 8, 2011
DC Residents Rally, Demand Walmart Respect DC
From our brothers and sisters at UFCW Local 400:
Chanting “R-E-S-P-E-C-T, living wages in DC,” approximately 100 city residents gathered outside the John Wilson Building (City Hall) Monday for a boisterous rally urging the District of Columbia City Council to require Walmart to sign an enforceable community benefits agreement before it opens four planned stores in Washington, DC.
The rally culminated Community Advocacy Day, in which workers, clergy, community activists, small businesspeople, environmentalists and other members of the Living Wages, Healthy Communities Coalition met with City Council members to urge action requiring Walmart to pay its workers a living wage, uphold their rights and give back to our communities.
Rev. Howard Findley, senior pastor of Florida Avenue Baptist Church in Washington, DC, addresses the rally. Photo by Dwight Kirk.
Noting that Dr. Martin Luther King often said, “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice,” Rev. Findley exclaimed, “We will move toward the moral arc of justice in providing living wages and healthy communities. . . . Our fight is only beginning, but we aim to win!”
Franklin Carter, a Local 400 member who works as assistant front-end manager at the Park Road Giant, noted that unlike Walmart, union retail jobs offer the opportunity for fulfilling, stable careers. “My goal is to become a manager,” he said. “I’ll celebrate my eighth anniversary at Giant in March. I make more than $15 an hour, have health benefits and opportunities to advance in my career. I have a vested stake in the future of the company, the future of my coworkers, and my own future. Those are the kind of jobs DC needs.
Local 400 member Franklin Carter, who works at the Park Road Giant in Washington, DC, urges Walmart to respect DC. Photo by Eric Schlein.
Rebecca Mills of Ward Four Thrives, who lives just one-tenth of a mile from a proposed new store, said, “We don’t want Georgia Avenue to turn into a sea of abandoned buildings with a Walmart at its center. I don’t want my neighborhood’s character to be defined by Walmart. We want the City Council to back the Living Wages, Healthy Communities Coalition and make Walmart sign an enforceable community benefits agreement.”
Chris Weiss of the DC Environmental Network, Ward 4B05 Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Brenda Speaks, and Yes! Organic Market owner Gary Cha also urged City Council action at the rally. Cha spoke of the concerns of area small businesses that they could be forced to close if Walmart comes into DC, citing studies showing that for every job Walmart creates, it causes the loss of 1.5 to 2 jobs, on average, at other businesses.
Rally participants emerged energized for action and pledged to step up the pressure on the City Council. They and others will continue canvassing DC neighborhoods to build even stronger support for requiring Walmart to sign an enforceable community benefits agreement before it is permitted to enter the DC market.
Press Links from Community Advocacy Day
>http://www.tbd.com/articles/2011/02/group-demands-wal-mart-pay-living-wages-at-d-c-stores-50979.html
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/Protesters_Call_For_Walmart_Concessions.html
http://wamu.org/audio/nw/11/02/n14110207-40681.asx
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/housingcomplex/2011/02/07/a-tale-of-walmart-and-two-city-councils/
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