Guiding the Next Generation Forward

Every generation faces a familiar responsibility: passing along the lessons earned through experience to those who are coming up behind us.

We may not have loved hearing advice from our parents or mentors, yet their guidance continues to shape our lives long after they are gone. In time, younger workers will value hearing similar wisdom from us.

Among all lessons, none carries more weight than the principle of Union Solidarity. When working people stand together with shared purpose, they gain power they could never achieve alone.

“Solidarity Works” has long served as the motto of UFCW 8-Golden State, and it reflects the foundation of the Labor Movement from its earliest days. A single worker cannot negotiate on equal footing with an employer who holds far greater resources. Without a Union, a worker is left to accept whatever terms a company chooses to offer, often with little room to speak up.

With a Union, everything changes. Through collective bargaining, the entire workforce can secure fair treatment, equitable compensation and a rightful share of the value created through its labor.

In this issue of Voice of Action, you will find many examples of the gains made possible through membership in a strong Union like UFCW 8-Golden State. These gains include improved wages, stronger health coverage, secure retirement plans, safer workplaces, protections from discrimination, fair scheduling, paid time off and many other advantages that support working families.

Some of these victories required significant sacrifices by earlier generations, and we honor those efforts each time we negotiate a new contract.

During every round of bargaining, we focus on preserving the progress achieved by those who came before us while also advancing new goals for those who will follow. Our work is never only about today. It is also about tomorrow.

Consider this: The United Food and Commercial Workers is the largest private-sector Labor Union in North America, and it has the youngest membership. Forty percent of UFCW members are under 30, representing roughly 450,000 workers in supermarkets, drug stores, food processing facilities, medical offices and many other workplaces across the United States and Canada.

Each of us plays a role in carrying the Union legacy forward. No matter your age, take time to connect with younger coworkers. Share the values you have learned about collective action and how it protects wages, benefits and workplace rights. Help others understand how your contract functions and why it matters so deeply.

Guide the next generation forward.