UFCW's President Hansen Leads Calls For Investigation into Walmart's Business Practices

In the wake of an explosive New York Times’ report about Walmart's unlawful business practices in Mexico  and elsewhere, UFCW International President Joe Hansen has called for a federal investigation into the company’s conduct.

As President Hansen told ABC about the allegations, "They raised question in my mind about stores approved in the U.S., where zoning laws changed quickly and permits were issued quickly. I think we'll now see people go back and ask questions about that."

Members of Congress have asked for an investigation, and the Department of Justice may already be looking into the company.

In a statement, President Hansen said that: 

The reported cover-up by WalMart executives at the highest levels exposes a core truth: WalMart cannot be taken at its word. A Department of Justice investigation into foreign bribery is an urgently needed first step. Congress should immediately convene hearings to examine whether WalMart is using these unethical business practices in their U.S. operations.

Meanwhile, elected officials in NYC are expressing opposition to Walmart’s potential move into their city. As WNYC is reporting:

Several mayoral hopefuls, from Speaker Christine Quinn and Public Advocate Bill deBlasio to Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and City Comptroller John Liu, issued statements citing Walmart's potential violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as evidence that the company could not be trusted here in New York City. 

Follow @UFCW

Campaign Brings Macy's and Bloomingdale's Workers from Across the Country Together to Rally for Better Contracts

In an act of solidarity to raise standards in the retail industry, Macy's and Bloomingdale's workers in Seattle, Pleasanton, C.A., Pittsburgh, and New York City are working together to fight for better contracts. Together, UFCW members from locals across the country are negotiating with management at Macy's, Macy's Furniture Gallery, and Bloomingdale's stores.

"All we want is a fair contract," says Damaris Morales, 46, who has been a saleswoman at the Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship store in New York City for 15 years.

Focused on the theme: "We are the Magic Behind Macy's," workers across the country hand-billed their customers with a Macy's fact sheet; wore "We are the Magic" yellow wristbands; and signed petitions that pledged to take local action to support workers in negotiations.

On April 18, workers from across the country came together and rallied for a new contract. In a community effort, they were joined by elected officials, other union members, customers, and other workers, including Macy's workers and workers from Bloomingdale's flagship store.

Check out photos from the rally and workers participating in the "We are the Magic Behind Macy's" campaign:

December Jobs Reports Brings Mixed News for Retail Workers

The latest Jobs Report was released Friday, and it brings some welcome news. During the month of December our economy added 200,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5%.

Retailers added 28,000 jobs, but food retailers are not foreseeing a full recovery for 2012, and department stores had a holiday season marked by deep discounts and sales that fell short of expectations.

In the 21st century American economy, more families will depend on retail jobs. These jobs are the backbone of our service economy, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that retail and other service jobs is one of the fastest growing sectors in our economy. The fact is that retail jobs are going to define how it is to live and work in America the way that manufacturing jobs once did. That’s why it’s so critically important that these are jobs where workers can earn a steady, family-supporting paycheck with middle class wages and benefits.

Yet, many retail workers have to cobble together 40 hours from two or three jobs. They don’t have a schedule they can count on. Their employers purposely skimp on hours, preventing full-time schedules so they won’t have to provide benefits. And the painful irony of the holiday season hiring boom is that the same workers who report to work at midnight on Black Friday are prevented from working a forty-hour week or earning overtime wages that would allow them to make their own holidays special.

If retail is going to be the future for millions of American workers, the sector can’t be staffed by people scrambling from one retail job to another. It’s not good for our economy, for retailers, or for workers who desperately need secure, full-time jobs that pay the bills and allow them to live a middle class life.

In a real sense, these workers and their families are the economy; they are the job creators. Workers who earn middle class wages are able to buy cars, food, and clothes. They take their families out to eat on special occasions. They save money instead of living on credit cards. They buy school uniforms and pay tuition, rent, and bills. And they buy and maintain homes.

The best way for retail workers to make positive changes is by sticking together in a union. UFCW members are able to bargain with their employers to share in their success. Having a union voice on the job means workers can make sure they’re compensated and treated in a way that reflects the value of their hard work. UFCW members have been successful bargaining fair wages, benefits, and respect on the job for both full-time and part-time workers in supermarkets, retail stores across the country. They know firsthand that people will only really start feel like the economy is on its way to a full recovery when families start earning middle class wages and benefits.

Anti-Worker Trio Dominate Iowa Republican Caucuses

The first votes of the 2012 presidential election were cast last night in Iowa. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul topped the polls. None is a friend of working families.

Mitt Romney traveled to Ohio this fall in support of Senate Bill 5, which stripped firefighters, teachers, and other public employees of the right to collective bargaining. Shortly thereafter, Ohio voters overwhelmingly repealed this anti-worker law. He has criticized the NLRB as being “out of control” for protecting things like the right to strike and fair union elections. And he has endorsed the notion that corporations are citizens. Good news for Wal-Mart and other Republican contributors. Bad news for democracy.

Rick Santorum established one of the most extreme anti-worker records during his time in the U.S. Senate. He voted against increasing the minimum wage and farm price supports crucial to the job security of thousands of agricultural workers. He has vowed to repeal manufacturing regulations that keep workers safe, falsely blamed unions for bankrupting state governments, and supports giving even more tax breaks to big corporations.

Ron Paul believes the federal government should be limited in protecting the safety of workers, yet have a heavy hand when it comes to employer-employee bargaining. He voted against raising the minimum wage and extending collective bargaining rights to first responders. He has called unions “unconstitutional.”

Romney, Santorum, and Paul were the big winners last night, but working families would lose if any of them reached the White House. By comparison, President Obama has been a consistent champion of good jobs, fair benefits, and a secure retirement. When it comes to standing up for workers, the 2012 presidential contest is no contest at all. That’s why we’ve strongly endorsed the President’s reelection bid.

Support Retail Workers Sticking Together for a Say Over Holiday Scheduling

Black Friday has finally become Black Thanksgiving, leaving retail workers with no time for turkey - or to spend with their families.

Retail workers go above and beyond to provide great service for their customers during the holiday season, and take pride in their work. But with stores like Walmart moving up Black Friday opening times to 10pm on Thanksgiving, and Target calling in workers at 11pm, retail workers will be unable to sit down with their families for Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Click here to sign the petition to stand with Walmart employees and other retail workers who are sticking together to have a say over their schedules during the holidays. 


Concerns over hours and scheduling constantly fall at the top of the list of problems for retail workers. That's why workers should be able to stick together and have a say over their hours and scheduling, and compensation for holiday work. After all, retail jobs are the fastest growing jobs in the country, and millions of retail workers have the power to make these jobs good middle class jobs. That's good for our economy, and good for all Americans. UFCW members who work at stores like Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Modell's, and H&M know the power of sticking together and speaking with one voice. They know that we can improve our jobs and our lives by standing up with one another for what's right. By sticking together in a union, these retail workers earn higher pay for work on holidays.  They also have more control over their schedules.

Retail workers are part of the 99 percent. And it's good to see that people are paying attention to the working conditions facing retail workers in our economy.  We know that when workers speak with one voice to address workplace issues with management as a group, they begin to level the playing field and improve their jobs. When we support workers coming together to make positive changes in the workplace, we all win.

Retail workers and their families deserve respect on the job. Stand with Walmart employees and other retail workers who are sticking together to have a voice over their schedules during the holidays.

Growing Hispanic Population Brings Hard Work Ethic and Optimism to U.S.

HHM draws to a close, but Hispanic presence in the U.S. carries on. More than forty million men, women and children continue to work, study, and prosper. At UFCW we are proud of our Latino members and their contributions to our union and our industry. From the braceros program of the early 1900s to the harvest pickers and line workers of today, we say gracias and we continue to organize and help Latinos get on their way to reaching the American dream.

The union difference marks a substantial improvement in the lives for all workers. But when Latino workers join a union they see a wage increase of 17.1% ($2.60/hour), plus they are 26% more likely to have employer-paid health insurance and 27% more likely to have a pension. Their numbers are growing in our industry, in our ranks, and as part of our population, and we welcome their hard work and optimism.

As we explained at the beginning of this Hispanic Heritage month, the period that began on September 15 and ends this Saturday, October 15 encompasses the independence dates of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18. And October 12, celebrated as Día de la Raza in Latin America, marks the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Western Hemisphere.

Historically and officially these milestones are the reason we celebrate Hispanic Heritage month. But we are sure that Hispanic Heritage month celebrations to come will add more achievements and successes from this vibrant component of our American identity.

The Problem with Mitt Romney's Economic Plan

In my letter in today's Wall Street Journal, I point out that Mitt Romney's economic plan further highlights the GOP's obsession with protecting corporate interests at the expense of the poor and the middle class. As I stated in the letter:

As the nation's unemployment rate registers at 9.1%, it is clear that we need to take bold steps to lift Americans out of poverty and rebuild the middle class. Instead of engaging in antiworker rhetoric, Mr. Romney and his fellow Republicans should focus on creating economic policies that generate and sustain good jobs with decent wages and benefits, with the end goal of giving America's middle class the purchasing power it needs to revive the economy.

Starting this Labor Day, Let's Make Job Creation a Priority

This Labor Day, as the national unemployment rate hovers around 9 percent and the gap between the rich and poor continues to grow, it is clear that we need to think big and create a bold jobs plan that will lift Americans out of poverty and rebuild the middle class.

But as the country waits for President Obama’s jobs speech next week, the national conversation is still focused on cutting the deficit at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens—a tactic that will do nothing to create new jobs.

It is time to make job creation—good jobs with benefits that can support a family—a priority over a politically manufactured debt crisis. It is time to announce a bold infrastructure investment plan to fix our roads, bridges, schools, airports, railways and seaports, and invest in a WPA-type jobs program to clean up abandoned and vacant properties to alleviate blight in distressed and foreclosure-affected neighborhoods; staff emergency food programs to reduce hunger and promote family stability; work in Head Start, child care, and other early childhood education programs to promote school readiness and early literacy; and renovate and maintain parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces.

If the national conversation continues to be manipulated by those who put their own interests ahead of the poor and middle class, our country will never fully recover from this downward economic spiral. It is time to think big.

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!

President Hansen Letter in New York Times: White House's Decision to Pay Tribute to Walmart was "Misguided"

In the letter, published today, President Hansen pointed out that Walmart has a history of destroying good jobs in communities, rather than creating them:

Instead of honoring Wal-Mart, the White House should laud employers who are creating good jobs with benefits that can support a family and challenge Wal-Mart to do the same.

Read the full letter here.

Local 10 needs your support

The organization that represents most West Coast shipping bosses is suing the longshore workers' union local for the Bay Area over a one-day work stoppage earlier this year to show solidarity with the struggle against union-busting in Wisconsin.

International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 was answering the call by the AFL-CIO for a day of solidarity with Wisconsin workers on April 4. Following the AFL-CIO's slogans of "We are all one" and "No business as usual," rank-and-file members of Local 10 decided unanimously to stay off the job.

Now, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) is suing ILWU Local 10 and its president Richard Mead for "unspecified damages" over the work action.

The PMA is citing the notorious Taft-Hartley Act – an anti-union law passed in 1947. Taft-Hartley was crafted to ban solidarity strikes – secondary boycotts, mass pickets and wildcat strikes – actions that built union strength in the 1930s. The last time Taft-Hartley was used against the ILWU was in 2002, when the PMA locked out longshore workers who were facing attacks on their working conditions, wages and benefits.

ILWU Local 10 needs our support now. If the PMA succeeds in its campaign, the labor movement will be pushed backward – and in a moment when we need rank-and-file union activism and solidarity to grow, not dwindle. The battle against the current attacks on all workers in the United States and internationally needs Local 10 and they need us now, more than ever! Click here to show your support for ILWU Local 10.

Retail Workers Need Safe Workplaces, Too

Retail workers can be safer with a union voice on the job.

With Workers Memorial Day just behind us, I've been thinking lately about work safety. The most high profile on-the-job tragedies usually involve those working at jobs we all know are difficult and dangerous: miners, firefighters, police officers, truckers, commercial fishing workers, plant employees. But we often forget that retail jobs, too, can be difficult and dangerous—and that considering retail workers’ safety on the job is no laughing matter. 

It’s safer now than it used to be, since murder is down across the nation—but working the overnight shift in retail is still a dangerous job. As a prime target for robbery, the clerk’s job puts him or her in the way of violence more often than many other workers. And retail workers in malls, shopping centers, fitness centers, and other places are at greater risk of being injured or killed by random violence. They can be the victims of spree attackers – or, as the recent murder at a yoga store in Bethesda, Maryland, shows, of their own co-workers. In 2007, 167 people were killed working retail, according to a study by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. And most retail workplace deaths occur as a result of homicide.

Of course, random violence is still extremely rare—but retail workers do encounter many on-the-job threats to their physical safety and well-being. Retail workers are often asked to stand in place for long periods of time, sometimes hours or more. This puts lots of stress on the legs, feet, back, and circulatory system, and over time, permanent injuries and disabling conditions can occur. Retail workers are often asked to set up displays, stock merchandise, and perform other tasks that often see them lifting heavy equipment, boxes, and display units without aid of a harness and without being shown the proper way to handle heavy lifting. They may be asked to climb up ladders in stockrooms or even operate machinery which they have not been trained on properly. 

And injured workers don’t always receive the proper treatment or advice from management or HR. I worked at several retails jobs over the years, and at some of these places if you were hurt on the job, no one told you about workers’ compensation. It was always your fault that you got hurt, no matter than you’d been asked by your manager to lift a heavy display case over your head or carry a table by yourself. If the injury was very bad, you might be allowed to go home or to the hospital or doctor’s office—but frequently workers with head injuries or bleeding wounds would be told they needed to finish their shift before they could go home. The people I worked with (including me) had no idea what kind of safe environment we were entitled to at work, so we kept our mouths shut, put a bunch of band-aids on that bleeding gash, and went back to our counters and customers with a (somewhat strained) smile on our faces. At most of these places, the stores’ safety procedures were good, but managers often overlooked or ignored them, or created shortcuts that shouldn’t have been acceptable.

I’m sure that my store wasn’t the only place where such incidents occurred. I’ve heard horror stories from many non-union retail workers about injuries they received on the job and how they could have been prevented beforehand, or better managed afterwards. We need better awareness, too, of how repetitive stress injuries, back neck and foot injuries, and other injuries can develop over time with unsafe working conditions. These working conditions are often seen as silly or ignored (you can stand for six hours! You don’t need a stool.) because they aren’t life-threatening, but they take their toll on the body over time and can cause all kinds of problems later. 

So as we remember workers who’ve lost their lives on the job, and consider how to make workplaces safer, let’s not forget to include retail workers in the conversation. From protecting workers from violence to the more mundane safety concerns that still have very serious impacts, retail workers deserve a safer, more comfortable work environment, too.

UFCW's Kathy Haywood Recognized by Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for Her Efforts

UFCW congratulates Kathy Haywood on her recent recognition from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for her years of fund-raising efforts.

Kathy first become involved with the Society in 1988, through her work with UFCW Local Unions, District Councils and Region Offices. She was introduced to the Light the Night Walks in the year 2000 and nominated to be team captain for the UFCW Team. That first year, the UFCW team consisted of five people who raised $1,510. Kathy helped to more than double the participants and team total the second year, and in 2010 – the tenth year UFCW participated in the walk, the team reached their goal of $20,000.

UFCW applauds Kathy’s hard work and dedication to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Kochapolooza: Walker Admits He Lied

UFCW members in Madison, WI with Scott Walker puppet.

With real issues - a jobs crisis and budget crisis - facing Americans, what have Republicans been doing? Today they staged a hearing with Governor Scott Walker and other anti-worker activists that was bought and paid for by the Koch brothers. More than half of the Republican House Oversight Committee members, including Chairman Issa, are recipients of Koch money, and the so-called expert witnesses? Three of the four have also received money from the Koch brothers. (Walker’s DC visit coincides with a damning new report that details how he and David Prosser “quietly worked to allow Koch’s many Georgia Pacific paper plants to pollute thousands of pounds of phosphorus in Wisconsin’s water.”)

However, Governor Scott Walker's misdeeds have been so profound that the Wisconsin Republican was STILL embarrassed at this not-so-impartial hearing. Reps. Dennis Kucinich and Gerry Connolly questioned Walker thoroughly, and finally got him to admit what the non-partisan PolitiFact had already examined and judged completely false – that he never campaigned on stripping collective bargaining rights. Walker and national Republicans have used that as a key talking point, but today Walker made explicit that he lied to voters by claiming he had signaled his agenda during the election.Walker also admitted that key provisions of his so-called Budget Repair Bill had nothing to do with repairing the budget. 

But despite the Democrats' vigilance and Walker's admissions, Rep. Issa's “Kochapolooza” hearing wasn't about budgets, jobs, or corporate responsibility - that's for sure. It was about muzzling nurses, teachers, firefighters, and other public workers - the people who keep this country running - so that the Koch brothers and other CEOs and greedy Wall Street types can line their already overstuffed pockets with even more money. All this while many ordinary Americans are just barely getting by.


These Republican politicians should be focusing on creating jobs. That's what will get America moving again. That's what will fix our budget crises.  But instead, Rep. Issa is using this hearing as nothing but an excuse to sell the cruel and misguided Ryan Budget plan - the plan that would balance our budget on the backs of the poor and middle class, senior citizens, students, and working families - while cutting taxes even more for the wealthiest Americans and for Big Business.

House Republicans need to get serious and work with the American people, not against us. But in light of this hearing and the recent threats to shut down the government, does it really seem likely that House Republicans will be abandoning their ideological crusades and political crusades to focus on job creation anytime soon? America's working families shouldn't hold their breath.

Today, We Stand with Wisconsin. We Stand with Workers Nationwide. We Stand Together as One.

What’s happening in Wisconsin – the way workers have come together to fight back against Governor Walker’s unprecedented assault on working families – has been an inspiration for union members and allies nationwide, as we face anti-worker attacks in our own states. When we stand together, we can beat back assaults on workers and the middle class.

That’s why on April 4th, the UFCW will join the entire labor movement and our allies in standing up for workers’ rights. April 4th is the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s death, and we will stand for the same human rights and dignity for workers that Dr. King was fighting for in Memphis 43 years ago when he led the sanitation workers’ strike.

UFCW members will be participating in a range of actions, from rallying, to wearing stickers that say “Sticking together for Working Families,” to posting on Facebook. We will be featuring their actions and many other union members and supporters on our websites throughout the day – and here in Washington, we will be marching on the Koch Brothers’ headquarters and wearing red to show support for our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin. For more information on April 4th and what you can do, please click here.

I don’t know about you, but today I am proud to be an American. I am proud to be part of a movement to fight to save our middle class—and the American Dream. I am proud of union members and other workers and supporters with the strength and willingness to get involved at this crucial moment in history, and I believe that we can win the fight for working families everywhere.

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.

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.

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.

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 Wisconsin public workers to protect their right to collective bargaining," said Gonzalo Romin, Klement's workers and UFCW Local 1473 member. "I will also stand with my fellow UFCW members because this fight may become our fight if we don’t stop Governor Walker now.”

And his fellow UFCW member, Gregory Peters, Tyson Food worker and UFCW Local 538 member, was in agreement.“The attacks on the Wisconsin workers are just the first step on the war on labor," he said. "We must unite to stop it now!”