Politics and Prose (Washington DC) – UFCW Local 400

Workers at Politics and Prose in Washington DC made history as the first ever Washington DC bookstore to unionize as they joined UFCW Local 400.

More than 50 workers across the three P&P bookstore locations voted to unionize in order to to negotiate a contract that secures higher wages, a standardized pay scale, and pay transparency.

 “We are proud to join the growing movement of booksellers and baristas across the country who have unionized their workplaces,” said the P&P organizing committee. 

Read UFCW Local 400 statement here.

Half Price Books (Minnesota) – UFCW Local 663 & 1189

In December 2021, workers from three Half Price Books locations in Twin Cities, Minnesota won union recognition from a National Labor Relations Board election, making this the first union at the national chain Half Price Books. 

Workers unionized with UFCW Locals 663 and 1189 to secure livable wages, better working conditions and a voice in their workplace.

Stores in Coon Rapids, Roseville and St. Paul filed for union election mid-October of last year. Ballots were sent to workers by the U.S. Mail and a certified election count was scheduled for Thursday, December 16 at 2 p.m. All three locations voted to unionize.

On January 6, 2022, workers from the St. Louis Park location at Half Price Books won union recognition from a NLRB election, making it the fourth store to unionize with the national chain.

Read UFCW Local 663 statement here.

Greenlight Bookstore and Yours Truly (New York City, NY) – RWDSU/UFCW

About 40 workers at Greenlight Bookstores and Yours Truly stationery stores in Brooklyn, N.Y., joined the RWDSU/UFCW last summer. The workers in the bargaining unit handle sales, stocking, and information services in the stores.

In addition to Greenlight Bookstore and Yours Truly, the RWDSU also represents workers at book and stationery stores across New York City including McNally Jackson, Goods for the Study, and Book Culture.

“We’re proud to welcome the workers of Greenlight Bookstores and Yours Truly stationery stores into our union,” said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum. “Together, they won recognition from their employer, and showed that the best way for working people to protect themselves and their families is to join together in a union.”

Read RWDSU statement here.

Are you a bookstore worker who would like to enjoy the benefits of a union?

Take the first step towards unionizing!

WACO, TX — Today, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the union for over 33,000 Texas food and retail workers statewide, announced that over 400 Texas poultry workers at the Pilgrim’s Pride plant in Waco have voted overwhelmingly to unionize and joinedUFCW Local 540, the largest union for food workers in the region. As new members of UFCW Local 540, these Waco Pilgrim’s Pride workers will soon form a bargaining committee to negotiate their first union contract to strengthen pay and benefits, as well as workplace safety protections, which are vital as COVID Delta Variant cases surge across Texas.

UFCW Local 540 President Johnny Rodriguez released the following statement:

Texas poultry workers at this Waco Pilgrim’s Pride plant are sending a powerful message that workers have a stronger voice on the job when they stand together. These workers joined UFCW Local 540 because they are ready to stand up for the better pay, increased benefits, and improved working conditions that come with a strong union contract.

“Essential workers in Texas and across the country in meatpacking plants have been on the frontlines of the pandemic since day one, putting their health at risk to make sure our families can put food on the table during this health crisis. 

“Pilgrim’s Pride respected the right of these workers to unionize and stayed neutral throughout this campaign. At a time when giant corporations like Amazon are spending millions of dollars to stop their workers from exercising their right to join a union, Pilgrim’s Pride did the right thing by staying neutral, setting a powerful example for other companies in Texas and nationwide. 

“UFCW Local 540 looks forward to working with Pilgrim’s Pride on negotiating the first union contract for these Waco poultry workers as they stand together to strengthen these essential jobs.”

BACKGROUND: 

Pilgrim’s Pride poultry workers in Waco joining UFCW Local 540 is a major victory that paves the way for even more Texas meatpacking workers to unionize as these brave men and women continue to work on the frontlines of COVID-19. Additional details regarding UFCW Local 540’s organizing efforts at the Pilgrim’s Pride plant in Waco are below:

• UFCW Local 540’s campaign to unionize Pilgrim’s Pride poultry workers in Waco started in May 2021. UFCW organizers met with workers at the plant during shift changes to help them learn about the union difference and passed out English and Spanish language pamphlets about the benefits of joining the UFCW.
• Waco community members played a key role in the campaign, helping pass out the pamphlets during shift changes that answered questions workers had.
• Citizenship clinics were a key part of the campaign, helping introduce the union to the Pilgrim’s Pride employees at the Waco plant, highlighting how the union can support local communities and help workers and their families a better life.
• A bargaining committee of Waco Pilgrim’s Pride workers will now begin to negotiate their first union contract at the plant to further strengthen pay, benefits and working conditions.

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UFCW Local 540 is part of UFCW International, the largest private sector union in the United States. UFCW International represents 1.3 million professionals and their families in healthcare, grocery stores, meatpacking, food processing, retail shops and other industries. Our members serve our communities in all 50 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. Learn more about the UFCW at ufcw.org. 

The workers joined our union family because they wanted a stronger voice in the workplace and a seat at the table, which is one of Three Rivers Market’s slogans. They also wanted the better wages and benefits that come with a union contract.

“It is so encouraging to find a group of workers who are willing to stand together in their workplace and join our union family,” said UFCW Local 1995 President Greg Stallings. “Their reward will be better wages, benefits, and working conditions for all!”

FALL RIVER, MA– Today, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 328 (UFCW), the union for 11,000 workers in a variety of industries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, announced that cannabis cultivation workers employed at Cresco/Sunnyside in Fall River, Massachusetts, voted overwhelmingly to approve their first union contract. 

The UFCW 328 agreement secures guaranteed pay increases, fair scheduling policies, offers important workplace protections and strengthens retirement benefits and employee discounts. Cresco cultivation workers will see up to an 18.7% pay increase over the next three years. This comes as the Massachusetts cannabis industry generated $81.7 million in 2020 tax revenue and is expected to continue to grow this year.

Molly Balbuena, a three-year employee of Cresco in Fall River and a member of the negotiating team, celebrated the union win with her co-workers. “I am so proud of our hardworking team at Cresco for sticking together and securing this victory. We are so excited to have secured the better future and collective voice we were looking for when we formed our union with UFCW. We urge all cannabis workers to come together and say Union Yes!”  

BACKGROUND:

When Cresco cultivation employees began organizing with UFCW Local 328, the workers wanted to address issues relating to low pay and the lack of workplace protections. Workers emphasized that they liked their jobs but wanted to have a real voice at work and a collective voice within the growing industry.  

In November 2020, the Cresco cultivation workers completed the process of joining UFCW Local 328 after the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations certified their petition, giving them the legal right to negotiate a union contract.

Cresco Labs is one of the largest multistate cannabis operators in the country and operates a cultivation and processing facility as well as Sunnyside Dispensary in Fall River.  The Cresco workers are just the latest group of workers to join the UFCW in Massachusetts. 

UFCW Local 328 is leading the push to unionize Massachusetts and Rhode Island cannabis workers. In April, 2020, workers at Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center in Rhode Island unionized, voted to join Local 328.  UFCW Local 328 currently represents cultivation workers at Ocean State Cultivation Center in Warwick, Rhode Island, who unanimously ratified their first union contract in October 2020. In addition, Curaleaf workers in Hanover, Massachusetts, recently voted to join UFCW Local 328. 

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UFCW Local 328 represents over 11,000 workers in a range of industries across Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts. As the recreational and medical cannabis industries have become mainstream across the United States, the UFCW has represented workers in cultivation and retail operations nationwide and has fought to ensure that working families have a seat at the table to secure important workplace protections and share in the gains and success of the cannabis industry. The UFCW currently is the largest representative of cannabis workers with tens of thousands of members in the industry nationwide.

Zara union workers chose to join UFCW Local 888 because of the UFCW’s leadership as the top retail union in the country representing the men and women in the retail industry. As one of the top retail unions, UFCW organizers were able to connect with these workers about the most important issues they face every day at their workplace, including scheduling and paid time off, and help them build a strategic plan to make lasting improvements.

Often times workers may face issues at their store that they do not realized are tied to larger, company or industry-wide problems. When workers are isolated, they are left to deal with these issues on their own, and may put up with less than they deserve if they believe they are the only ones impacted. Being part of a union helps connect the dots and make it possible to tackle systemic issues head on.

Zara is a global retail company specializing in clothing, accessories, shoes, swimwear, beauty, and perfumes. It is the largest company in the Inditex group, the world’s largest apparel retailer.

Twenty-nine million Americans work in the retail industry, making it the largest private sector-employer in the economy. According to The National Retail Federation, retail supports 42 million jobs and represents $2.6 trillion of annual GDP in the United States. Retail workers who contribute so much to our economy should have good wages and benefits they can build their lives around. The UFCW is committed to a better life for Zara workers, and for all hard working men and women.

“We are excited to welcome Zara Cherry Hill and Freehold to the Local 888 family and we are looking forward to working with all six stores in securing a strong UFCW contract,” said UFCW Local 888 President Max Bruny.

This election sets a strong precedent for the new and expanding Illinois cannabis industry. After a few weeks into cannabis legalization in Illinois, the Cresco workers are showing how the cannabis industry can live up to the promises it made to local communities when it lobbied for their support.

The goal of the Illinois cannabis legalization was to support good-paying union jobs throughout the industry. With a union contract, cannabis jobs can help hard-working men and women support their families and strengthen their communities.

The UFCW is working to ensure that cannabis jobs provide good wages, pensions, health care coverage, and dignity in the workplace.

The 100 Cresco Labs workers were supported throughout the organizing campaign by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, U.S. Representatives Bill Foster and Robin Kelly, as well as local legislators and religious, labor, and community organizations.

“Unions give us a way to be represented as a collective group and give everyone a voice,” said Jaclyn Taylor, a Cresco Labs employee.

“Congratulations to the new Local 881 members at Cresco in Joliet who have set a positive example ‒ for the entire state of Illinois and the cannabis industry at large ‒ of what can happen when workers come together to improve their working conditions,” said UFCW Local 881 President Steve Powell. “It takes strong resolve on the part of workers to stand up and demand a real voice on the job. Our union is proud of these workers and looks forward to standing with them to negotiate and demand a fair and just contract that will improve their working conditions.”

The workers joined our union family because they were concerned about health care, treatment by management, and other issues. Save-A-Lot employees were excited to become part of the union, and happy the organizing process was over and they could get to work making Save-A-Lot a better place to work.

“It feels amazing,” said Shawn, one of the Save-A-Lot employees.

“Honestly, this win is just the beginning,” said Rebeccah, another Save-A-Lot employee. “It feels great that all of our hard work and petitioning paid off and we’re ready for the next step: getting our contract negotiated and accepted.”

Congratulations and welcome to the family!

The workers joined our union family because they were concerned about low wages, insufficient benefits and workplace favoritism. UFCW Local 655 is focused on helping these workers build on this victory to organize workers at other Goodwill stores throughout the area.

“We could not be more proud to welcome Goodwill employees into the Local 655 family,” said UFCW Local 655 President Dave Cook. “I look forward to helping them bargain the union contract that they deserve so that they can get the wages and benefits they have worked so hard for.”

On June 25, Cottonseed Co-op Corporation workers in Jonestown, Miss., joined the ICWUC.

Cottonseed Co-op was previously known as Delta Oil Mill and was represented by the ICWUC until its bankruptcy and closing approximately five years ago. The cottonseed processing facility reopened approximately two years ago under the name Cottonseed Co-op, and the company rehired many of the previous employees from Delta Oil Mill.

When the workers came back to work without a union contract, they found that many of the benefits and protections they once had when they were members of the ICWUC were now gone.

These hard-working men and women knew they had earned and deserved better, so they reached out to their former union representative, Regional Director Ricky Lawrence, in early May. Lawrence sent them cards to sign to see how much interest there was at the facility and in a couple of weeks they had mailed him back signed cards for approximately 80 percent of the current employees. Organizer Ernest Perkins visited with the workers, and then contacted his organizing colleague, Lance Heasley, to come assist in the NLRB petition process.

During the petition process, the organizing team gave the company the option of having a neutral third party count the cards rather than go through with the NLRB election process. The company agreed to have a neutral third party and on June 25, the neutral party determined that 47 of the 57 employees had signed cards. The company then voluntarily recognized the ICWUC as the bargaining agent for the Cottonseed Co-op employees and agreed on a date to begin negotiating a contract.

The ICWUC is proud to welcome back these workers and looks forward to working with them in negotiating their first contract.

One of the main motivating factors for the men and women of Metro Market to join the UFCW was a desire to strengthen wages, improve scheduling and staffing, and have a way to address other issues they face on the job.

“I am looking forward to the positive change a union contract will bring to our store,” said Josephine D’Amato, a bakery clerk who has worked at the Metro Market Van Buren store for 13 years.

“The biggest thing a union does is give us unity in numbers,” said Terrence Honey, a produce clerk who has worked at the Metro Market Van Buren store for 16 years. “Strength in numbers helps level the playing field.”

Congratulations and good luck with your first contract!