Solidarity is the key.
It’s the key to wage increases. It’s the key to protecting and enhancing your health benefits and retirement security. It’s the key to ensuring your rights on the job.
Good things happen when solidarity goes from being a mere word on a page to a state of mind for our members at all the kinds of workplaces we serve, from supermarkets to food processing plants, from doctor’s offices to cannabis shops, from wineries and distilleries to pharmacies.
When solidarity is on display, the employers take notice. They get the message. And they respond by agreeing to contracts which recognize the true contributions of their employees.
Since the start of the pandemic, we have seen our members tap into their personal reserves of resilience and resolve as never before.
The hard work they have always done for their employers, their customers and their communities have taken on new meaning. And with this realization comes recognition of the need for improved compensation and better working conditions.
In The Spring 2022 issue of Voice of Action, we celebrate the great new contracts we have achieved through your solidarity this year.
In Northern and Central California, our members voted enthusiastically to ratify their agreements with Safeway/Vons, Save Mart/Lucky, Save Mart Office, Yosemite Wholesale and Maxx Value, and our members in Southern California are just as pleased with their contracts with Food Maxx, Save Mart, Stater Bros. and Vons.
All of these agreements bring improvements across the board.
Of course, our work as a Union is never finished. Our District Union Representatives and Shop Stewards are charged with informing management and the members about the details of the new contracts, as well as enforcing their terms in the workplace.
In the meantime, UFCW 8’s leadership will continue negotiating with other employers, including Raley’s/Bel Air/Nob Hill, Harris Ranch Beef and Almaden. In every case, we are determined to deliver to our members agreements they will be proud to ratify.
Our Union also will continue carrying the Union message to new workplaces and new industries where workers can benefit by raising their voices in unity.
Wherever they work, America’s essential workers are fighting to get the respect they deserve. Now, at places like Starbucks and even Amazon, they are beginning to win the fight. UFCW 8-Golden State will be at their side throughout their struggles.
Over the course of 85 years, our Union has succeeded on the basis of a simple truth:
Solidarity Works!
