The contract negotiated between UFCW 8-Golden State and your employer isn’t just paperwork. It could be the most important document in your working life.
Your contract is a legally binding agreement which guarantees your wages, benefits and working conditions. It also establishes protections against arbitrary and unfair treatment ensuring you are treated with the respect you deserve.
But more than that, it’s a symbol of solidarity, strength and shared purpose.
Before negotiations begin, UFCW 8 listens to the members in the bargaining unit — members like you — who share what they would like to see in their new contract. From there, skilled Union professionals go to work, bringing to the bargaining table the collective strength of more than 30,000 UFCW 8 members. Supporting them is a team of legal professionals, actuaries and other experts, all acting on the members’ behalf.
Once negotiations produce a tentative agreement, it is brought to the members for a vote of ratification. If the proposed contract doesn’t meet the needs of the members, they can vote to reject it — and, if necessary, authorize the Union’s leadership to call a strike or other labor action in order to reach a better agreement. Fortunately, such actions are seldom necessary and extremely rare.
Once a contract is in place, its enforcement becomes a collective effort. Union Stewards at the workplace assist UFCW 8’s District Union Representatives and other staff professionals in defending the terms of the agreement against violations by management. But the first line of defense is you and your coworkers, all united in purpose and action.
Across the country, Union members consistently earn higher wages and enjoy better benefits than their non-Union counterparts. Why? Because collective bargaining works. Where individuals may struggle to negotiate with large employers, a Union brings together the voices of many to achieve fairness and respect on the job.
As a member of UFCW 8, you’re part of something bigger. You benefit from superior wages, better benefits and safer working conditions.
Union members do better at work and in life because … Solidarity Works!
