Bill Bumpus an injury to one is an injury to all

In the weeks and days leading up to Saturday, May 13, the day of the National Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, UFCW members and locals volunteered at events and donated non-perishable food items to help America’s families put food on their tables.

In February, the graduate teachers voted to be represented by UNITE HERE. But Yale University has refused to negotiate with them. If they stall long enough, more appointees by President Donald Trump will be seated at the National Labor Relations Board. How quickly do you think those appointees would vote to roll back the rights of graduate workers?

Gerard L. Pellegrini was a renowned trial lawyer who established a reputation for excellence in representing working people in Western Massachusetts and throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1957, he founded the law firm of Pellegrini, Seeley, Ryan & Blakesley, P.C. He died in 2015, after having practiced for 50 years. Sixty years after its founding, the firm continues his legacy of advocating for injured people in courts and administrative agencies throughout Massachusetts.

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From stocking shelves to providing late-night medical care, when the rest of the world goes to sleep, many UFCW members’ work days are just getting started. To celebrate the hard work and sacrifice made by those who work overnight to keep our communities running smoothly, International President Marc Perrone surprised several UFCW Local 2008 members at Kroger in Little Rock, Arkansas, with a late night visit in honor of National Third Shift Workers Day.

During the 2016 election, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump made it clear that his administration would be more aggressive in pursuing immigration enforcement. This likely means more aggressive workplace actions, including raids that result in the immediate arrest of working people. Our new We Will Defend and Resist toolkit explains the processes and players involved in worksite enforcement and provides resources and guidance on how to prepare for and respond to a raid or audit.

On May 12th,  2017, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1459  along with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 46, collected donations from union members for the 25th Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive at the Local 1459 office and encouraged Western Massachusetts residents to participate the next day, Saturday, May 13th by leaving non-perishable groceries at their mailbox for letter carriers to collect.

President of UFCW Local 1459 Dan Clifford said “We are proud of the partnership between the UFCW and NALC to help those most in need. Working families see their letter carrier at least six days a week, and they often see their grocery clerk or checker just as frequently.  Our members' work helps put food on your table and we want to make sure in our country no one goes hungry”.

Amendment #1169, “GIC Out-of-Pocket Cap” – filed by Representative Paul Mark
Earlier this year, the Group Insurance Commission approved changes to co-pays and deductibles for GIC health plans that, as of July 1st, will shift nearly $150 million in out-of-pocket costs to employees. While Governor Baker has made clear he does not want to raise taxes or fees on Massachusetts residents, shifting a disproportionate share of health costs onto workers is in fact a direct tax on public employees.

Don't miss Larry Cohen of Our Revolution, the successor organization to Bernie 2016, who will address the Gompers-Murray-Meany Conference on Thursday the 25th. Larry served as President of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) from 2005-2015, and spent nearly all of his adult life as a member, organizer, and officer.

All jobs take some kind of physical toll on the body, but through training employees to recognize safety hazards and working with employers to minimize risk, we can create safe workplaces and help reduce preventable injuries.

The UFCW is committed to nurturing a culture of safety in the workplaces we represent and working with employers to find innovative solutions. We are committed to seeing our members arrive to work safely and leave work safely.

Contrary to many claims by pundits, amateur or professional, working people are showing, more and more, that they do want to organize their workplaces in the South. The latest victory comes from McDonough, Georgia, where employees at Nestlé’s logistics and shipping center voted to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).

Earlier today, Matthew Utecht, President of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 653 and Jennifer Christensen, President of UFCW Local 1189, released a statement in support of union cannabis jobs in Minnesota:

“The collective voice and legal support provided by unions create better incomes, better benefit plans, more experienced employees and safer workplaces than non-unionized workforces.  The improved work situations of union employees create job opportunities for American people and an improved business climate for the United States.”

• Veronica Brandt, past UFCW Charity Foundation Scholarship winner

We would like to congratulate Al Garnett, produce manager at Stop & Shop in Harwich, Massachusetts, for winning the 2017 Retail Produce Manager Award from the United Fresh Produce Association! This prestigious award is granted each year to twenty-five of the industry’s top retail produce managers from across the country and Canada.

We know better than anyone how hard UFCW members work to put food on the table for America’s families – and our union family also believes that no hardworking man or woman should struggle alone. Which is why we work hard for those in need, supporting our brothers and sisters at the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) in their “Stamp Out Hunger” food drive.

Shortly after news broke that Thrillist had secured a $100 million investment as part of a deal to merge with three other digital properties and create a new media behemoth, a few of us on the editorial staff began discussing the possibility of unionizing.

It’s that time of year again. If you are one of the roughly one-third of Americans who wait until the last two weeks to file your taxes, don’t let the impending deadline cause you to rush and miss out on cash back you are owed.

Looking for ways to eat healthy the rest of the year? Registered Dietitian and UFCW Local 400 member Mary Lynn Farivari shares her tips for preparing nutritious, flavorful meals in her cookbook, Healthy Palate. 

Our hard-working union family is home to many strong women who are active in their communities and leaders on the job.

We’re proud to highlight Brigid Kelly during Women’s History Month. Formerly a staff member at UFCW Local 75 and a city council member, Brigid is now a UFCW Local 700 representative as well as a Ohio state representative. Using the experience she’s gained from both her professional and personal life, Brigid strives to help improve the lives of everyday Ohioans.

Only about 10.5% of Americans claim Irish ancestry, but that doesn’t stop the rest of us from celebrating the proud history of the immigrants who came before us.

Though our national love of St.Patrick’s Day and all things Irish might be hard for outsiders to understand, the day has really become a chance to celebrate the optimism and bravery of those who left their home countries on the gamble that they could have a better life here in the US. Their stories of hardship, hard work, and hope for the future continue to be a source of pride and inspiration and have enriched the fabric of the country.

Working people in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin didn’t vote for a budget that slashes workforce training and fails to invest in our nation’s infrastructure. President Trump’s proposed budget attempts to balance the budget on the backs of working families.