Past winners have gone on to make significant contributions to society and to the UFCW – entering a range of fields including public service, medicine, law, business and teaching.  Many have returned to the UFCW as staffers, organizers, and community activists who contribute to our mission.

Apply Now >>>

*UFCW-employed officers and staff, and their immediate families are not eligible for this program.

Application deadline:  12:00pm (noon, Eastern Time), Friday, January 31, 2020

This program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation, which is sponsored by Union Privilege.

Award amounts:  $500 to $4,000.  These one-time cash awards are for study beginning in the Fall of 2020.  Students may re-apply each year.

Eligibility

Current and retired members of participating unions, their spouses and their dependent children (as defined by IRS regulations). At least one year of continuous union membership by the applicant, applicant’s spouse or parent (if applicant is a dependent). The one year membership minimum must be satisfied by May 31 of the scholarship year. See more details on eligibility in the tab below.

Evaluation Criteria

This is a competitive scholarship. Applicants are evaluated according to academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended. The required essays can account for up to half your total score. Scholarship applicants are judged by a committee of impartial post-secondary educators.

Award date:  May 31, 2020. During the first week of June 2020 award recipients will be notified by postal mail, and all applicants will be sent email notification.

 Apply Now

Past winners have gone on to make significant contributions to society and to the UFCW – entering a range of fields, including public service, medicine, law, business and teaching. Many have returned to the UFCW as staffers, organizers, and community activists who contribute to our mission.

Congratulations to the 2019 UFCW Charity Foundation Scholarship winners and good luck with your classes!

This year’s UFCW winners are:

Payton Amend of Soper, Oklahoma. Amend, whose father, David Amend, is a member of UFCW Local 540, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Payton is an occupational safety and health major at Southeastern Oklahoma State University (SOSU). She expects to graduate in 2021 and hopes to be an advocate for employee safety. Payton was 2018 salutatorian at Soper High School (SHS) in Oklahoma. While at SHS she concurrently took courses at Murray State College and Eastern Oklahoma State College. Payton is a ranch hand on a southeastern Oklahoma ranch and maintains her own small herd of cows and goats. Her father, who has nearly two decades of union membership and is also a former member of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ International Union (BCTGM), has spoken often of times when the union has supported members at local plants, including efforts like negotiating benefits and fair pay. “Companies know that unions like UFCW are mighty organizations that look out for the best interests of their members,” Payton said. “Being a union member means a lot for my dad. His grandparents and father were also union members, and it’s an honored family tradition.”

Guadalupe Godinez of Chicago. Godinez, whose mother, Silvia Godinez, is a member of UFCW Local 1546, has been awarded a $4,000 scholarship.

Marisol Gomez Marrufo of Muleshoe, Texas. Gomez Marrufo, whose father, Carlos Perea, and mother, Christina Perea, are members of UFCW Local 540, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

Marisol is a 2019 graduate of Lazbuddie [Texas] High School (LHS). She plans to major in nursing when she starts college this fall and hopes to work with underserved people at a rural health clinic. While in high school, she took dual-credit courses at nearby South Plains College. Marisol said UFCW has greatly impacted her life and that she was especially thankful for her parents’ union membership when her sister sustained a knee injury two years ago. “My parents were able to take the necessary steps to ensure a full recovery due to the medical insurance offered through UFCW,” Marisol said. “I am thankful for the many roles UFCW plays in my life, without which I would not have been afforded the many opportunities that I have throughout my life.”

Brittany Martinez of Granville, Ohio. Martinez, who is a member of UFCW Local 1059, has been awarded a $3,500 scholarship.

Julia Walli of Lombard, Illinois. Walli, whose mother, Jennifer Walli, is a member of UFCW Local 881, has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship.

The Union Plus Scholarship Program, now in its 28th year, awards scholarships based on outstanding academic achievement, personal character, financial need, and commitment to the values of organized labor. The program is offered through the Union Plus Education Foundation.

Union Plus Scholarship awards are granted to students attending a two-year college, four-year college, graduate school, or recognized technical or trade school. The selection process is very competitive, and this year over 7,100 applications were received from 65 unions and all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories, representing an almost 20% increase in applications from 2018.

The new 2020 application for the Union Plus scholarship is now available.

The application is entirely online, allowing students to complete their application over time and save their responses.

Learn More about the Union Plus Scholarship and eligibility here.

Apply Now

Every year the UFCW Charity Foundation scholarship program offers scholarships to UFCW members or their immediate family members who want to further their education and demonstrate a commitment to their communities and to UFCW values.  Since 1958, the fund has distributed more than $2 million in scholarships.

Past winners have gone on to make significant contributions to society and to the UFCW – entering a range of fields including public service, medicine, law, business and teaching.  Many have returned to the UFCW as staffers, organizers, and community activists who contribute to our mission.

Please email cfscholarship@www.ufcw.org with questions.

Apply Now >>>

*UFCW-employed officers and staff, and their immediate families are not eligible for this program.

Every year the UFCW Charity Foundation scholarship program offers scholarships to UFCW members or their immediate family members who want to further their education and demonstrate a commitment to their communities and to UFCW values.  Since 1958, the fund has distributed more than $2 million in scholarships.

Past winners have gone on to make significant contributions to society and to the UFCW – entering a range of fields including public service, medicine, law, business and teaching.  Many have returned to the UFCW as staffers, organizers, and community activists who contribute to our mission.

Apply Now >>>

*UFCW-employed officers and staff, and their immediate families are not eligible for this program.

Every year, the UFCW Charity Foundation scholarship program offers scholarships to UFCW members or their immediate family members who want to further their education and demonstrate a commitment to their communities and to UFCW values.  The fund has distributed more than $2 million in scholarships since 1958.

To read more about this year’s winners, go to The UFCW Charity Foundation website.

Here are this year’s winners:

Walter Henry, Local 2D

Satta Samura, Local 400

Dakota Birchara, Local 880

Gabriel Harris, Local 1996

Casey Vileta, Local 881

Katera Moberg, Local 7R

Andy Song, Local 770

Erin McDonagh, Local 1518

OUTreach Executive Board members have participated as one of the leading workshop presenters, putting our union, UFCW, as a key advocate for the working class and a key voice on labor issues at this conference.  In a time where the labor movement and everything we have fought for is under attack, OUTreach’s dedication to organizing social and economic justice for all workers and ensuring full equality for LGBTQ+ workers at work and in their union reflects our union’s commitment to building a resilient working class that is not divided by hate.

Providing these scholarships to UFCW members is a crucial step in recruiting and developing our own rank-and-file leadership within our union and in the broader movement.  It is with this vision in mind that OUTreach offers five scholarships to UFCW members to join our contingent at next year’s conference.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about OUTreach, please contact Michele Kessler at 610-513-9927 or Jean Tong at 213-590-7177.

OUTreach Scholarship Application

Details and Instructions

What: Creating Change Conference
When: January 23-27, 2019
Where: Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center

Scholarship includes:

• Conference Registration Fee
• Hotel and Meals
• Transportation

Eligibility and Requirements:

1. Applicant must be an active UFCW member.
2. Applicant must be able to take time off to attend the conference in its entirety.
   1. Arriving at the Marriott Renaissance Center in Detroit, MI, no later than 9am on January 23 and leaving the hotel no sooner than 12pm on January 27.
3. Applicant must submit a short paragraph to answer the following:
   1. What does being a union member/activist/shop steward mean to you?
   2. Why are you interested in attending this conference, what do you hope to get from this experience?
   3. Please share an example of you standing up for yourself or others.
4. Applicant must submit a letter of recommendation from his/her/their local union. (Please see attached form)
5. Deadline to submit: Wednesday, November 7th 2018 to Michele Kessler at MKessler@ufcw1776.org and Jean Tong at tong@ufcw770.org
6. Scholarship Announcement: Wednesday, November 21st 2018

To apply, download the application here:

UFCW OUTreach Creating Change Conference Scholarships 2019 (English)
La solicitud de beca de Outreach 2019 (español)

Every year the UFCW Charity Foundation scholarship program offers scholarships to UFCW members or their immediate family members who want to further their education and demonstrate a commitment to their communities and to UFCW values.  Since 1958, the fund has distributed more than $2 million in scholarships.*

Past winners have gone on to make significant contributions to society and to the UFCW – entering a range of fields including public service, medicine, law, business and teaching.  Many have returned to the UFCW as staffers, organizers, and community activists who contribute to our mission.

Apply Now >>>

*UFCW-employed officers and staff, and their immediate families are not eligible for this program.

UFCW Fights to Improve the Pay and Quality of Life for the Workers Who Bring Value to Retailers and Customers

By: Chris Curry

The Crunch: The United Food & Commercial Workers International Union works daily to improve pay, benefits, and working conditions for its 1.3 million members. The UFCW is America’s largest private sector labor union and represents the grocery, retail, and packing house workers who help the economy run. As technology threatens to automate many jobs, the UFCW is working to show the value that knowledgeable and professional associates bring to customers and businesses. The organization also helps members advance their careers through free college tuition and GED courses. In the modern labor movement, the UFCW stands up for working conditions — and work-life balance — that result in better jobs and a stronger labor force.

The members of the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union play an often-overlooked role in our daily lives.

Take Super Bowl Sunday for instance. UFCW members work in the industries that provide some of the most popular items on the menus at parties across the country: Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, the Heinz Ketchup for those hot dogs, the Hidden Valley Ranch dressing for the chicken wings, and they even sell the avocados for the guacamole. The Jim Beam for the whiskey and Cokes came from a distillery whose workers are represented by the UFCW, and members made the leather for the footballs used in the game.

“Our members are behind the scenes in all these daily interactions and moments in people’s lives, from the Super Bowl to Christmas,” UFCW Communications Director Erikka Knuti said.

In addition to featuring the hard work UFCW members do and the value they have to offer, DealCrunch also highlighted a number of the education opportunities available to UFCW members and their family members:

Programs Help Prepare Members Through Education & Skills Training

In the modern workplace, businesses and employees both face a significant challenge in managing rapid change. And while companies allocate resources for change in the form of equipment or technology, preparing workers for an evolving workplace is often an afterthought.

The UFCW has introduced multiple programs to help members adapt to changes and progress in their careers and personal lives.

Free College for Career Advancement Opportunities

UFCW members and their families — spouses, domestic partners, children, stepchildren, and grandchildren — receive free tuition toward an online associate’s degree from Eastern Gateway Community College in Ohio. The arrangement covers all fees and ebooks for courses.

The free tuition program initially started with local labor unions in Ohio that recognized cost was the single biggest barrier to finishing college.

Finance, marketing, early childhood education, criminal justice, and accounting are among the degree programs available.

Erikka said in one particular case, the opportunity to pursue an early childhood education degree benefited both a UFCW member and the retail store where she works.

“She is taking early childhood development classes and gaining expertise while working in the baby aisle at her store,” Erikka said.

GED Courses to Help Workers Finish High School

Across the country, many frontline retail and grocery store workers drop out of high school to get a job and help support their families. Erikka said a new UFCW initiative is designed to help them.

“We’re about to roll out a program for people who didn’t finish high school to get their GED,” she said.

A GED will help workers meet qualifications for additional positions and open the door to pursuing an associate’s degree through the free tuition program at Eastern Gateway Community College.

Language Training to Improve Customer Service

English as a second language programs are also available to help UFCW workers better serve customers and advance in their careers. The UFCW will soon offer Spanish as a second language programs as well.

The skills that members learn through language courses will only add to their value in a retail setting, Erikka said.

“It all goes back to the value our members can offer a company,” she said. “The fact that they are taking early childhood development classes to better work in the baby products aisle and are interested in taking Spanish as a second language to better help customers, that is something that should be valued.”

 Are you a UFCW member interested in learning more about these discounts and educational opportunities?

Learn More About:

Language Training GED Courses Discounts Free College Degree