Today, a new opportunity presents itself to build strength through unity: the merger of UFCW 8 and Locals 45D, 181D and 188D.

When the UFCW was formed by merging the Retail Clerks and Meat Cutters Unions in the late 1970s, and later, with the merger of the Distillery, Wine and Allied Workers International Union, its leaders set a precedent for future mergers that would pay off in better contracts. This Union proved the

wisdom of that strategy.

The basis of any Union is building an entity of great strength out of elements that might be weak and easy to defeat independently. That’s why anti-Union forces invest so much time and effort in their strategy of "divide and conquer."

Improved finances will be only one benefit from the merger. The new Union will span more than half of America’s most populous state. With a membership of more than 30,000, it will be one of the largest — and certainly one of the strongest — Unions in the entire world.