SECRETARY-TREASURER’S REPORT

The rights and living standards of working people are under attack from many directions. The key to their defense is consolidating and concentrating the strength of Labor Unions.

  Only bigger, stronger and more effective Unions can meet the challenges of the new economy and counter the strategies that corporations use to silence the voices of working people.

  When you vote to approve a merger, you make your Union bigger, better and stronger. You ensure that your new Union will bring more strength to the bargaining table to more effectively confront corporate power.

  In the days when companies were local, and regional negotiating contract settlements were based on local conditions, it made sense to have small     

Local Unions.  It made sense to have separate units serving different kinds of workers.

  But those days are gone. Employers have grown into national and international corporations with billions in annual revenues, and company bargaining positions are now handed down from corporate headquarters.

  In this new environment, Unions have to get bigger and stronger in order to stand up to bigger and stronger corporations.

  With the backing of tens of thousands of members in a variety of industries, UFCW 8-

Golden State has more power at the bargaining table than ever before.

  A bigger and stronger Union means workers are able to take more effective political action. With more resources available, UFCW 8 is able to keep the public and legislators informed about issues that are important to working families.

  As one Union with one voice, UFCW 8-Golden State is leading the movement to revitalize worker power and restore the American dream for working families.