UFCW Locals, Kroger Step Up to Support Toledo School Kids and Teachers after Walmart Leaves a Void

UFCW Local 75, UFCW Local 1059, and union grocery store Kroger came together yesterday to present Toledo teachers with giftcards to help them stock their classrooms with supplies for the new school year. The donation came after Walmart offered to make a similar gift, but with the requirement that the Toledo Federation of Teachers, and its president Kevin Dalton, be part of a PR campaign thanking Walmart.

TFT president Kevin Dalton turned down the deal, saying he could not applaud a company who stands for eroding wages, pensions, and the rights of its workers. Dalton said, "When a company like Walmart asks for a public thank you from teachers for a classroom donation, that’s not charity, it’s marketing.”

Read the full story here.

Labor economist Alan Kreuger tapped to chair Council of Economic Advisors

President Obama today announced that he's nominating Alan Krueger as chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Dr. Kreuger, a labor economist, is a professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University. His political background includes service as assistant secretary for economic policy and chief economist at the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 2009-2010, and as chief economist at the U.S. Department of Labor from 1994-1995.

(Photo Credit: ANDREW HARRER/BLOOMBERG)

 Dr. Krueger’s academic papers have covered a vast array of issues, including the positive economic effect of increasing the minimum wage and the impact of unemployment on out-of-work job seekers. He has also written about issues related to education, labor markets and income distribution.

The UFCW is excited to see how Krueger's background in the economic issues facing workers will impact the administration's work on job creation in the coming months. The fact that he knows raising the minimum wage doesn't increase unemployment is a good start!

UFCW Members Join Verizon Workers in Fight for Middle Class Jobs

Photo courtesy CWA New Jersey's site.

Despite making almost 20 billion in profits and paying out hundreds of millions to its top executives in the last four years, Verizon refuses to share that success with its workers and seems intent on destroying good middle class jobs. To stand up for their families and the future of the American middle class, more than 45,000 members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) have been forced into the streets on strike by their company's greed.

Verizon is refusing to move from a long list of demands, and so CWA and IBEW members are standing up for good jobs. And UFCW members are standing up with them, all across the country, as locals join with their brothers and sisters on picket lines and in their neighborhoods. UFCW locals are adopting Verizon stores to picket in their area to let customers know about the strike and Verizon's corporate greed.

You can join in the fight, too! Go here to adopt a store or join in the fight online. Let's stand together for good jobs in America!