Top 11 Stories This Week: Inequality Explained by Amy Poehler

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Inequality Explained by Amy Poehler with Animated Ponys

Even though the U.S. ranks 30th of top 34 developed countries in inequality, the inequality message is still complicated, but not so much that a My Little Pony parody can't tell you about it. Indeed, this Adam McKay-directed short, featuring the voices of Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Sarah Silverman, Billy Eichner, and Andy Richter, actually does a pretty good job going over inequality's greatest hits. Check it out.

WHAT'S NEWS THIS WEEK 1. When Low Wage Workers Have Noncompete Clauses If you're a chief executive or a large stakeholder at a company, you're likely to have a noncompete clause, but what if you're a low wage retailer worker?  More companies are forcing employees to sign noncompete clauses Read more at Huffington Post 2. Target said to be eying a Canadian Exodus After opening stores and destroying thousands of union jobs, rumors say Target is looking to close it's Canadian stores.

3. Starbucks Boosts Pay, Relaxes Dress Code Move is a response to retail worker unrest throughout the country

4. Fast Food Strikes Could Cost Industry Billions Things are about to change in America for low wage workers, and the business world isn't happy

5. Costco Sets Expansion Plans for 2015

6. Walmart's "Made in America" Infographic Needs Work & Honesty The web filter at the Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) caught a big ol' piece of chaff this week, in the form of a release from Walmart. America's largest retailer has announced plans to purchase $250 billion worth of American-made goods over the next decade. It decided to share the good news of its sudden economic patriotism via an infographic, which is heavy on the fancy font but light on context. Related: Walmart Cuts Health Benefits for Part-Time Workers, Wants to Become More Sustainable

7. Wakefern ShopRite posts 4% Annual Sales Gain

8. AmazonFresh Opens in Brooklyn Another food delivery service option for NYC residents

9. Burger King Latest to Move Off-Shore Tax inversion is relocation of a corporations HQ to a country with a lower tax rate, while retaining its material operations in its higher-tax country of origin.  Guess who's having it their way now?  More in a Wash-Post Op-Ed.

Shameless Plugs: Union Plus Benefits: You're eligible for discounts on cell phone bills, mortgages, gyms and more! Find out here.

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King Kullen Negotiations Begin Thursday Oct. 30th

By: Tony Speelman, Secretary Treasurer

On Thursday, October 30th,  we'll be heading into our first negotiation session with King Kullen.  Our elected King Kullen negotiation committee will be led by President Bruce Both.  At this first meeting, the committee will present the company with our proposals that were submitted from contract proposal meetings in September. 

We'll be keeping you updated digitally through emails, our social networks, on our website and blog ufcw1500.org.  So, if you know any coworkers that would like to be on our King Kullen Contract Update List, please sign them up here.  Two-way
communication is essential during negotiations, and this is the first step.

Please feel free to email me with any questions!

NLRB Cancels Union Election after Charges Filed Against Mrs. Green's Natural Market

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500, New York's largest grocery workers union announced that the National Labor Relations Board [NLRB] has canceled the October 17th union election due to new charges against Mrs. Green's Natural Market for violating federal labor laws over the last three months.

"We're disappointed that Mrs. Green's new CEO has decided to take the company in the same direction as their former CEO," said UFCW Local 1500 President Bruce Both, alluding to the recent appointment of Pat Brown as CEO of Mrs. Green's Natural Market. "Like his predecessor, Mr. Brown failed to take advantage of an opportunity to address the serious labor management problems at Mrs. Green's Natural Market by declining to implement a fair and democratic process for the workers at Mrs. Green's to elect to join a union." Thirteen total charges were filed against the Mrs. Green's that lead to the NLRB canceling the union election. Charges included: "Select employees were granted wage increases" "Select employees' hours were cut in retaliation for their support of the Union" "Employees could not get raises due to Union election", the other 10 instances are attached to this release for download.

Mrs. Green's Natural Market has settled over 20 labor violations in the last 15 months with the National Labor Relations Board. Under Brown's predecessor's leadership, the company was charged with illegally firing eight longtime workers from its Mt. Kisco store for supporting the UFCW union. Those workers were left on a picket line for over 6 months in front of the store, until the company succumbed to community and political pressure to rehire them.

"Mrs. Green's management is clearly intimidated by their employees banding together to collectively demand more from their employer, and the company has repeatedly shown they are willing to do whatever it takes, including breaking federal labor laws, to keep the union out," said UFCW Local 1500 President Bruce Both.

For more information on the workers at Mrs. Green's Natural Market please visit www.mrsgreeds.com.

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United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, based out of Westbury, New York, represents over 23,000 grocery workers in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.

Stay up to date with UFCW Local 1500 on twitter @ufcw1500, and at www.ufcw1500.org.

Contact UFCW Local 1500 at info@ufcw1500.org.

Walking for a Cure! Light the Night Walk & Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

This weekend we're really excited to be participating in two amazing causes to battle cancer.  The Light the Night Walk and the Making Strides Walk!

Join us this weekend with your union brothers and sister and walk to fight cancer at either, or even both of these walks!


Light the Night Walk @ Eisenhower Park

What: Light the Night Walk

When: Saturday, October 18th at 5 PM  (Walk starts at 6 PM)

Where: Eisenhower Park, Nassau County Meet up at our Union HQ @ 5 PM for food, photos and fun OR meet us at Eisenhower Park and look for the UFCW Gold Shirts!

Why: To support all those affected by Blood Cancer and to raise funds/awareness for the disease!
RSVP for details and updates


Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk @ Jones Beach

What: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

When: Sunday, October 19th at 7 AM - 12 PM

Where: Jones Beach, Field 5

Why: To support all those affected by Breast Cancer and to raise funds/awareness for the disease!  This walk is the second largest in the nation, so get there as early as you can for parking reasons!

RSVP for details and updates

Get involved and help your community out with your union this weekend!  If you'd like to register for ANY of these walks or to get involved in future charity actions, fill out this form!

For any extended info on any of these events, simply send us an email!

What's News This Week: Walmart Kills Traditional Supermarket, Workers Strike Over Lack of Ebola Protection

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Walmart & Whole Foods Are Killing Traditional Supermarket

 

Specialty Markets that promote towards income, taste, exotic and finally, with grocery sites like AmazonFresh, Peapod and others constantly popping up, customers are increasingly turning to the web instead of the supermarket aisle. What does this mean for the traditional supermarket industry?

WHAT'S NEWS THIS WEEK   1. Workers Strike in LaGuardia Over Lack of Protection from Ebola, Diseases   SEIU 32BJ workers used their voice to strike against poor and unsafe working conditions after the first victim of Ebola died in the U.S. this week.   "'Sometimes you ask and they act like they don't know what it is, which is kind of bad,' said Alberto Grant, Jr., a terminal cleaner at JFK Airport. 'You end up cleaning it up with a spray bottle, a mop and you wipe it up with paper towels and pitch it in the garbage, instead of using the proper procedures.'"    Read more at USA Today   Read more at Business Week: Airport Workers Get Close to Bodily Fluids   2. America Works More Nights and Weekend than Anyone Else How many studies do we need to convince something isn't right in America.

3. Union Slams New CEO of Mrs. Green's Natural Market President calls CEO's comments "short-sighted"

4. Member Spotlight on UFCW Local 888 Member Towanda Carter Towanda Carter was recently recognized by UFCW Region 1 for her outstanding service as a union member and for helping her fellow workers, both at her own workplace and elsewhere

5. Costco Sets Expansion Plans for 2015

6. Walmart Cuts Health Benefits for Part-Time Workers, Wants to Become More Sustainable

7. Ikea Workers Gather Thousands of Signatures for Full-Time Jobs

8. Walmart Free NYC Event: Low-Wage-Rage Join us in NYC as we rally with our friends in community groups, labor and religious coalitions to make our voices heard against Low-Wages and poverty conditions the world's largest retailer promotes!

9. It was the Size of Manhattan, but 75 Minutes Later it was Gone, like Gone Gone. This terrifying video recorded in Greenland will amaze, frighten and shock you.

10. It's Fall- Jump on the Pumpkin Flavored Trendy Treats that are UNION-MADE   11. Register to Vote! We at the UFCW are pushing every one to get registered, and find your voting location now!

 

Shameless Plugs:

 

Union Plus Benefits: You're eligible for discounts on cell phone bills, mortgages, gyms and more! Find out here.

 

This Month: Fight Cancer Weekend: Register for Breast Cancer & Light the Night Walks this October

New York's Largest Grocery Workers Union Slams Newly Appointed CEO of Mrs. Green's Natural Market

Calls comments "short-sighted" and a "disappointment"

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 President Bruce W. Both released the following statement regarding the appointment of Pat Brown as CEO of Natural Markets Food Group, the parent company of Mrs. Green's Natural Market:

"We and the workers from Mrs. Green's eagerly awaited new CEO Pat Brown's statements on the future of Mrs. Green's Natural Market, and we were all equally disappointed.

"Like his predecessor, Mr. Brown failed to take advantage of an opportunity to address the serious labor management problems at Mrs. Green's Natural Market; declining to acknowledge any of the hardworking men and women who have been instrumental in emerging Mrs. Green's from a small chain of stores in one state, into a rapidly expanding international market.

"Brown's comments are short-sighted for a company that was been charged with and settled over 20 labor violations in the last 15 months with the National Labor Relations Board. Under Brown's predecessor's leadership, the company was charged with illegally firing eight longtime workers from its Mt. Kisco store for supporting the UFCW union. Those workers were left on a picket line for over 6 months in front of the store, until the company finally succumbed to community and political pressure to rehire them. Ignoring these problems will not make them go away.

"Mrs. Green's is plagued with worker unrest because their 'core mission' doesn't include workers. The company needs to acknowledge and respect the men and women who help them achieve their "core mission", every day."

For more information on the workers at Mrs. Green's Natural Market please visit www.mrsgreeds.com.

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United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, based out of Westbury, New York, represents over 23,000 grocery workers in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties.

Stay up to date with UFCW Local 1500 on twitter @ufcw1500, and at www.ufcw1500.org.

Contact UFCW Local 1500 at info@ufcw1500.org.