Safeway worker who came to pregnant woman's aid reinstated

By now, news of Ryan Young, the Safeway meat clerk who came to a pregnant woman's aid when her boyfriend started kicking her, has spread across the country.  Unfortunately, the the news of Ryan's heroic deed also came with news that he was to be suspended without pay for the incident, due to Safeway's zero-tolerance policy for violence.

  

Ryan Young featured on the news after his suspension from Safeway  Photo credit: Change.org

However, upon hearing this news, swarms of people have come to Ryan's defense, and it has paid off. UFCW Local 5, Ryan's local union, began supporting Ryan by immediately challenging the suspension.  It took several weeks, but Ryan has finally been reinstated at Safeway.


Local 5's support was backed by other community members that boycotted and picketed outside Ryan's store location, and Del Ray Oak's own police chief even joined them. In a few short weeks, 180,000 people signed an online petition supporting Ryan.

Thanks to the support of everyone who came together, Ryan will receive back pay and is now looking forward to moving on at work. Ryan's story truly shows what sticking together with your coworkers can accomplish. If Ryan had not been in a union, it might have been more difficult for him to get back to work- he may have even been terminated, although unfairly.  With the help of others, Ryan's story was able to gain publicity, and the union's many voices brought much more attention to his situation than one voice alone surely could have. When we all stick together, we prove to be a force to be reckoned with in the fight for working families.