April 23, 2009

Voting was completed by secret ballot on the merger of Local 770 and Local 1036 and to approve the Bylaws of the merged unions. Local 770 & 1036 members voted overwhelmingly by over 90% YES to approve the merger.

Together, Local 770 and Local 1036 will form the largest and strongest UFCW Local union in the country. (Local 1036 covers the area from just north of us all the way to Bakersfield and Santa Maria.)

As the grocery corporations and other companies continue to merge and get bigger, we must adapt to protect our hard-fought wages, benefits and pensions. Merging Local 770 with Local 1036 makes us stronger:   

• More members mean our leaders have more bargaining power and leverage in negotiations with employers.
• More strength at the bargaining table prevents employers from implementing wages based on “area standards,” paying us differently depending on where we live and work.
• Representation will improve as 770 and 1036 overlap is eliminated and representatives can focus more on members and their stores.

Our last grocery contract showed us how powerful we are when we stand together. By uniting with local 1036, our union can better protect and fight for our rights.

To All Food Division Indemnity Members: Go to 2009HRQ.com to complete your Health Risk Questionnaire (HRQ), so you can receive additional funding for your Health Reimbursement Account (HRA).

NEW WEBSITES:
The Southern California UFCW Drug Trust
Southern California UFCW & Food Employers Joint Trust Fund

March 11, 2009 - The introduction of the Employee Free Choice Act today in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate is a crucial first step to rebuilding our once strong middle class.  The Employee Free Choice Act holds the promise of lifting the standard of living for all working families and ushering in a new era of economic equality.

With the California economy deep in crisis, this legislation couldn't have come at a better time. Staggering job loss combined with a decades-long stagnation of wages has led to a vicious downward spiral for California's economy and workers. More than ever, working people want and need the ability to bargain with their employers for a better way of life. By placing the free choice to form and join unions back in the hands of workers, the Employee Free Choice Act will play a vital role in California's long-term economic recovery.

While today's introduction is an important milestone for California's working families, it's just the beginning of what promises to be a tough battle. Deep-pocketed corporate interests have vowed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to defeat the Employee Free Choice Act in a misguided effort to cling to the failed economic status quo.

In the end, we're confident that working people will prevail. No amount of money spent by corporate lobbyists can match the grassroots energy and enthusiasm that America's workers will devote to restoring an economy that works for everyone.

The Employee Free Choice Act is legislation designed to protect the middle class by giving workers a free choice and fair chance to join a union. Employee Free Choice would ultimately raise wages, benefits, and working conditions for workers.

It would do it by empowering workers with the chance to join a union in a simple one-step process: if a majority of workers choose union representation, their company must honor that choice and negotiate a union contract. It also holds companies accountable for trying to suppress workers’ freedom to join a union.

CEOs negotiate their contracts—Employee Free Choice would ensure workers have the same right. With more members uniting for a voice on the job, we can build more power at the bargaining table to negotiate better contracts and restore the American Dream for millions of workers.

http://www.ufcw.org/issues/right_to_organize/index.cfm