UFCW Stands with South African Workers

Walmart's plans to expand in South Africa have hit another setback after the South African government’s Competition Tribunal ordered a hearing on the proposed merger with Massmart be pushed back for almost two months.

Wal-Mart is currently in the final stages of acquiring a 51 per cent stake in Massmart, whose operations run in Namibia and 13 other African countries. But workers in South Africa are concerned about the impact Walmart will have on their communities and their jobs.

Members of the South African Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU) and of its international ally UNI Global Union, of which the UFCW is a member, have been resisting the merger.



"Wal-Mart employs severe tactics to silence workers and keep them from having a voice on the job,” said UNI deputy general secretary Christy Hoffman. “It also uses its immense market share to make drastic cuts in its supply costs, often pitting local companies in a vicious race to the bottom to provide goods to Wal-Mart at the cheapest prices.”

“We don't want to see the 'Wal-Martisation' of South Africa like we have seen in the US, in Chile, in Argentina, in Mexico and in many other countries around the world,” affirmed head of UNI Commerce Alke Boessiger.



You can follow more news on the merger on the Walmart Watch blog, www.walmartwatch.org.

Video: Walmart worker Ernestine Bassett joins White House panel discussion on women organizing in their workplaces

In case you didn't get to watch live, here's the video of today's panel discussion at the White House featuring Walmart worker Ernestine Bassett, and other women workers telling their stories of attempts to organize a union in their workplaces.

The event, headlined by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis and Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, was held to commemorate Women’s History Month and the 100th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. These women are an inspiration to us all, and as Valerie Jarrett noted, their efforts to organize their workplaces show their dedication to making their companies stronger.

Nearly 150 UFCW Members Converge in Columbus to Lobby OH Legislators on Issues Important to Working Families

On Wednesday, nearly 150 UFCW members from all across Ohio joined together at the statehouse in Columbus to lobby their state legislators on issues affecting working families.

Members from UFCW locals 1059, 75, RWDSU, and the Chemical Workers Council visited nearly 60 State Representatives and around 30 State Senators, talking with lawmakers about SB 5, HB159, and HB61, all harmful pieces of legislation that attack Ohio working families. UFCW members also talked in depth with legislators about Governor Kasich's "no new jobs" budget, letting them know why Kasich's agenda is wrong for Ohio.


Later in the day, Local 75 was recognized on the Senate floor, and several representatives, including Representative Connie Pillich and Representative Mike Foley stopped by to join UFCW members during lunch and thank them for their hard work.

You can see pictures from UFCW's lobby day here:

UFCW Local 1428 Member's New Song For April 4th: "Fight On"

Some of you may be familiar with Mr. Picketman, aka UFCW Local 1428 member Phil Meza, who writes and performs awesome hip hop tunes all about worker power.  Well, he's just written another one--and it's his best yet, we think. It's all about what's happening to the middle class right now, with anti-worker politicians in charge, and how workers are fighting to beat back those attacks. It's really inspiring, so please give a listen. We guarantee you won't be able to get this tune out of your head--in the best way possible.

Listen to the song here.

Why We Fight: Video From the Front Lines of the Fight for the Middle Class

In states across the country, politicians are attempting to roll back the steps forward workers have made in their fight for economic justice and the American Dream. Regardless of whether those politicians are motivated by favors to super-rich corporate donors or are out to exact political revenge, workers have to stick together to stop the attack on the middle class.

On April 4, 2011, we plan to join the rest of the labor movement and our allies in a mass mobilization to make a public and workplace show of support for union rights for all workers. Join us!

Tens of Thousands of Workers - Including Hundreds of UFCW Members - Rally at Indiana Statehouse for Workers' Rights

Today tens of thousands and workers and labor supporters gathered outside the Indiana Statehouse to rally for workers' rights, and to protest against the anti-worker bills being introduced by Republicans in the state senate. Workers chanted, sang, danced, listened to speakers, and made one thing loud and clear: they're not going anywhere until Republicans back down from their anti-worker agenda. They also thanked the Illinois Democrats for staying out of the Statehouse and refusing to provide a quorum to vote on those anti-worker bills. The crowd at one point chanted "Thank you, Democrats," for a full minute and burst into wild applause and enthusiastic cheers.

Hundreds of UFCW members showed up in their UFCW gold to protest with their brothers and sisters, including members from Texas, Illinois, Kentucky, and of course from all over Indiana.

You can see pictures of the rally and UFCW members below and  here, and video here.

A STATEMENT FROM UNITED FOOD AND COMMERCIAL WORKERS INTERNATIONAL UNION ON WISCONSIN GOP’S ATTACK ON WORKERS’ RIGHTS

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) condemns the cowardly attack on Wisconsin’s public servants by Governor Scott Walker and Republican state senators.

Joe Hansen, UFCW International President, said, “Tonight’s late-night actions by Wisconsin’s Republican Senators will not stand. Working families and the broader community in Wisconsin and across the country have overwhelmingly stood up for the right to bargain collectively. Governor Walker’s true motives have been made clear that this was never about balancing the budget, but rather to exact political revenge on the hard working teachers, firefighters and public workers that make Wisconsin a great state.”

Hansen continued, “And for those politicians who seek to emulate Governor Walker, rest assured, these attacks on middle class families has unified and inspired an even stronger grassroots movement for change in this country.”

Tricia Hawkins, a UFCW Local 1473 member was inside the Wisconsin capitol building when the vote was taken. She said, “I work at Hormel Foods in Beloit and I have a good job because I have a seat at the bargaining table. I know collective bargaining works because our members work with management to reach the best agreement to make a stronger company and a good place to work.” She continued, “Working people understand that hard times call for shared sacrifices but Governor Walker proved tonight that his motivation was never about shared sacrifice. He is out for political revenge.”

UFCW members work in some of the nation’s largest supermarket chains and major food processing and meatpacking plants. UFCW members put food on America’s dinner table and with a voice at work and the right to bargain with their employer, they are able to bring middle class jobs to every neighborhood in America.

For more information, contact Jill Cashen, UFCW, jcashen@ufcw.org.

UFCW Members Join with Other Workers in Indiana & Rally Mardi-Gras-Style for the Middle Class

UFCW Local 700 and Local 227 members, AFL-CIO members, Teamsters, AFT and NEA members, and many other union members and labor supporters came together at the Indiana Statehouse yesterday to rally for the middle class. Click here to see more photos from the event and from other recent Indiana rallies.

Activists held a fake "funeral" for the middle class, complete with coffin and New Orleans style jazz quartet. They marched around the Statehouse, dancing and singing and chanting, and lined up to testify about what the death of middle class jobs would mean to them. Students spoke about how they wouldn't have been able to go to college if their parents hadn't had good, middle-class jobs. Parents spoke about putting food on the table for their families, and taking their children to the doctor. Others simply spoke about their fears that their children's standard of living won't be as good or better than their parents.

After the "funeral," the middle-class was revealed to be very much alive and kicking. As one Indiana lawmaker said, "Reports of the death of the middle-class have been greatly exaggerated, and the crowd here today proves that." Workers and supporters marched out of the Statehouse to the rousing sounds of the jazz quartet, chanting about finding hope these last few day, about moving forward, and about keeping up the fight no matter what.

In Ohio, UFCW and RWDSU Join Public Employees to Rock the State of the State Address

Today, Governor Kasich gave his first State of the State address in the Ohio Statehouse. Outside, workers came together to send a message to the Governor that his attacks on working families are not what Ohioans want and not what we need.


UFCW and RWDSU were out in force, standing with public employees in the fight against SB5, the harmful anti-worker legislation being pushed by Governor Kasich and Republican State Legislators. UFCW Local 1059 members and Kroger employees Judge Harris and Jason Taylor spoke at the rally, sharing their words of support with public employees and letting the Governor know that working families in Ohio won't stand for his attacks.


After the rally, UFCW Local 1059 members used the rest of their day off to knock on doors in State Representative Anne Gonzales's district, talking to fellow Ohioans about SB5 and the damage it would do to the state's working families, and urging them to call Representative Gonzales to voice their opposition to the bill.

If you're in Ohio, you can help by calling your state representative right now at (888)218-5931 and sending an email to voice your opposition to SB5.

Indiana Workers Speak out on Right to Work Bills to State Legislators

Clerks and meatcutters from neighborhood supermarkets, and food workers from local processing plants across Indiana raised their voices in unified opposition to so-called right-to-work legislation today. Workers offered their testimony in the statehouse rotunda after being denied an opportunity to testify at previous formal hearings on the legislation.

“We were shut out of the hearing, but we are here to speak out for all Hoosier working families,” said Dan Nicholson of Bedford, a grocery store meatcutter.

Nicholson relayed words of support from grocery store workers in current right to work states, and told the story of a Hoosier worker who had moved to a right to work state.

A co-worker left Indianapolis for Virginia. She worked for the same company, in the same position and had the same union, and what did she get? Less! Less pay. Less benefits. Why? She said it’s called right-to-work. We don’t need less in Indiana. We don’t need right to work.

Carlee Minnett, a 20 year old produce clerk from Bloomington called for more jobs with decent pay and benefits. She asked, “What future do we have as young workers if the only jobs we can look forward to in Indiana come with low pay and no benefits? My union job is giving me a chance to get an education for my future. Weakening our unions will take away our future.”

Stephanie White, a produce manager from Crawfordsville, summarized the view from the neighborhood store. “Right-to-work won’t bring customers into the store,” she said. “Good paychecks create good business and when workers make more, a business has more customers.”

UFCW and Major Worker Organizations Urge Supreme Court to Uphold Civil Rights and Workers’ Laws in Amicus Brief Filed Today

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), AFL-CIO, and Change to Win have filed a joint amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the plaintiffs in the Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., sex discrimination case.

You can read the full brief here, and below is a joint statement on the brief:

“For more than 45 years, American workers have sought protection from the courts for equal treatment in the workplace. Workers have joined together to remedy widespread discriminatory workplace practices through class action proceedings and by applying the nation’s civil rights standards to their workplaces. Today, Walmart is attempting to undo that standard by claiming its female associates have no right to appeal for justice as a class.

In our amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, we ask the court to uphold the fundamental pillar of the Civil Rights Act and to ensure that the class action process remains open to workers in all industries.

Walmart is not too big for justice. No employer should be beyond justice for its workers. Workers must have a voice in the legal process. The cost to Walmart if it loses the suit would be a fair recompensation for billions of dollars in lost wages and benefits owed to female employees who have lost opportunities as a result of Walmart’s discriminatory actions.

With more than 1.4 million associates nationwide, Walmart has single-handedly transformed the American economy by setting workplace standards by which all other retailers and employers are forced to compete. Because Walmart’s employment practices are so influential, its female associates must be allowed to have their day in court. We congratulate the brave women who initiated this complaint and who seek to create a Walmart workplace that treats all associates equally.”

Be sure to check out the full brief. And for more information on the Dukes v. Walmart Stores case, visit www.walmartclass.com.