UFCW 2016 Lobby Day...A Success!

On Tuesday UFCW & RWDSU members from throughout New York hopped on buses to our state capital, Albany. Over 100 UFCW members attended Lobby Day this year, to lobby for legislation to help UFCW families.

Local 1500 members with NYS Assembly Member Michaëlle Solages

Jerome Gomez, who works at Fairway on Long Island, explained why he went to Lobby Day this year said, “We are the voice for the working families. It’s very important that here in Albany, they hear us and our families. We are here to represent our community and our neighborhoods. The assemblymen and women we saw today, they live in our neighborhoods, they need to know and see us representing our community.”

James Williams, a UFCW Local 1500 member from Fairway Market, spoke about his first lobby day experience, “It gives you a chance to actually speak to the people who make things happen for your community. I was very pleasantly surprised the way they took to us and they were open to our ideas and agendas. I’ll definitely be back.”

Thank you to all UFCW New York Local Unions and members that joined: Local One Local 888 Local 2013 Local 1500 Local 342 Local 1262 Local 1245 Local 464-A RWDSU Local 338 RWDSU Local 1102

What We Lobbied For: 

 Pass Fair Work Schedules S-52 & A-261

 Problem: Companies use “on-call” scheduling to force people to work harder and longer and be unaware of their shift until the last moment. These “on-call” shifts require workers to call their employer, often just hours before their shift starts, to and out if they should come in. While there is no guarantee of a shift, the worker is expected to be available, preventing them from attending to other responsibilities.
  
Solution: S-52/A-261 would guarantee at least four hours of pay (at minimum wage) for workers who are required to contact their employer or wait to be contacted less than 24-hours before their shift starts.  Workers in New York are currently guaranteed four hours of pay each day they report to their job. S-52/A-261 simply closes a loophole that employers are using to avoid this requirement.

Repeal Minimum Wage Reimbursement Tax Credit S-1280 & A-6532 (also known as the “Walmart Tax Break”) 
If an employer in New York State hires a student aged 16-19 and pays them minimum wage, then they are provided with a tax credit of $1.35 multiplied by the total number of hours worked by all eligible employees.

Problems with this tax credit:  All employers are eligible—including: Walmart, McDonalds, etc.
n Provides employers with an incentive to hire young workers and pay them low. As of 2013, 90 percent of New York’s lowest wage workers were above age 20. n The New York Department of Taxation and Finance estimates the credit will cost the State $43 million in FY 2016. n Does not require employers to disclose participation or credit received. n The cost of the program is not capped.

New York UFCW GOTV for Hillary Clinton

Sat. April 16th: GOTV for Hillary, Locations Throughout New York State

Primary day in New York is approaching fast! April 19th is only a few weeks away and the UFCW is gearing up to help Hillary Clinton over the next two weeks. 

On April 16th we'll be hitting the streets in UFCW gold to canvas and phone bank for the Hillary campaign. There are many volunteer GOTV locations throughout our entire jurisdiction. If you're interested in helping out, please contact your Union Representative and he/she will give you details on the event.

For specific questions, please contact Brendan Sexton.

Rhonda Nelson Local 1500 Recorder, Trustee Speaks on the Need for Paid Family Leave in New York

Call Senate Majority Leader Flanagan NOW: 518-455-2071. Tell him that New York workers need 12 weeks of job-protected paid family leave, regardless of the size of the employer.

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.

What Happened This Week: Top 11 Stories: CNN is Anti-Union? UAW Pushing in Tenn.

FEATURED

CNN Ordered to Rehire 100 Employees by NLRB
Did you know CNN was anti-union? The 11-year dispute stems from CNN’s decision to replace a unionized subcontractor called Team Video Services, which provided the network with audio and video technicians, with an in-house nonunion work force in its Washington and New York bureaus.

UAW Plans another Push at VW Plant in Tennessee
After losing a closely contested election earlier this year, the UAW and workers aren't retreating, they're responding.

Image of Week via UFCW Local 400


Actor Vicki Lawrence, in a 1985 UFCW campaign: "Unions stand up for what people need—good salary, reasonable job security, appreciation for a job well done, and a chance to use their abilities—and United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is one of the best unions!" 

WHAT'S NEWS THIS WEEK

1. A&P Completes Debt Refinancing
The company has completed a refinancing of its existing senior debt — a covenant-free arrangement the company said “provides for a significant reduction in interest expense and enhanced liquidity and reflects the debt market’s confidence in [its] ongoing progress and prospects for future growth.”

2. Dozens of JFK Airport Workers Strike
Baggage handlers, skycaps and wheelchair attendants walked off the job on Wednesday morning, saying their employer, Alstate Maintenance, had engaged in a variety of unfair labor practices.  Meanwhile American Airlines Workers voted to unionize this week!

3. Demonizing the Minimum Wage
The New Yorker explains why the fight to raise the minimum wage has become a dividing political issue in Washington, when it should just be the right and obvious thing to do.  The federal minimum wage has never been indexed to cost of living, and over 73% of Americans want the minimum wage raised to $10.10.



4. Walmart Imposes Fake Sugar Tax in NY, Overcharges Customers for Sodas, Fined $66k
The attorney general’s office says the retail chain launched a national sale in June advertising Coca-Cola 12-packs for $3, but consumers at 117 Wal-Mart stores in New York were routinely charged $3.50.
Investigators say consumers who complained were falsely told the state has a “sugar tax.” They say the markup of more than 16% violated two laws.


5. Clinton Urges for Passage of 9/11 Compensation Act

6. NYC Bike Share (CitiBike) Joins TWU 
More than 200 workers in New York City’s Citi Bike program chose the Transport Workers (TWU) to help make their jobs, good jobs.

7. Walmart Heirs Give to Charity Just Like they Pay their Workers...Very Little
UGH, Even the Waltons find a way to screw people when giving to charity: This analysis, by Making Change at Walmart, only includes giving to the private charitable foundations associated with the individuals and families on the list. That means that direct giving without going through the foundation isn't included. But the Waltons aren't giving a lot to their own family foundation—in fact, they're using it to get out of future estate taxes—so it doesn't seem likely that they're secretly giving huge amounts of money to charities directly while not giving to their foundation.

8. Here's Why Protecting Workers Standards and Wages Should be Important to YOU!


8a. Which Industry CEOs are ripping off workers the most?  (Hint it's Fast and it's Food)

9. Largest Union Victory in South in Decades: American Airlines Votes to Unionize


Video: Ed Show American Airlines Workers Overwhelmingly Vote to Unionize

10. Workers Deserve to benefit for their Productivity, too

11. GOP Blocks Bill to Allow Students to Refinance Student Loans


Shameless Plugs:

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

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

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• Workers at JFK Airport Go On One-Day Strike

Working for Workers: NYC Politicians Send a Message to Mrs. Green's Natural Market

Last month, NYC politicians sent a letter to Mrs. Green's Natural Market expressing their concern for their labor practices.  The company was federally charged earlier this year for unlawfully firing 8 workers who supported United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500.  The workers had no prior records and were combined working at the company for over 50 years.  Workers were on a picket line for over 6 months until the company folded to public pressure settling the charges and rehiring workers with back pay.  

Although the company tried to "spin" the story and say they welcomed the workers back, if it wasn't for the tremendous community support, along with NLRB charges, workers would still be out on the picket line.

Mrs. Green's planned on opening a store in New York's West Village this Spring 2014, but there have been numerous delays.  The store is still not open (September 2014) and New York's West Village politicians want to ensure their new neighbor won't be restricting the rights of their workers like they have in their other stores.   Thanks to NY Senator Brad Hoylman, Assembly Member Deborah Glick and Council Member Corey Johnson,  for sending a letter to the Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Office of Mrs. Green’s Natural Market and standing up for retail workers.

Related articles

• NLRB Orders CNN to Rehire 100 Employees, Compensate 200

What Happened This Week? Top 10 Stories: June 27, 2014: Obama, Fox News, Walmart is Angry at the NY Times

 

Walmart, Starbucks & The Fight Against Inequality.

Just as President Both pointed out in his June column, NYTimes Editorialist Timothy Egan notes that Washington has stopped trying to help the majority of Americans who need it, and a solution could easily come from our largest employer.

FEATURED IMAGE: NYC Mayor

VIA NYS AFL-CIO

WHAT'S NEWS THIS WEEK   1. New York Times hits a Nerve on Walmart.  Following an editorial from the Times, Walmart replied by literally mocking up the piece on their corporate blog, with "facts", The Salon and the world, isn't buying it.   2. Whole Foods Fined $800k for Overcharging Customers

3. Price Chopper Lays Off 80 @ HQ

4. How Obama Can Help Re-Build the Middle Class...Without Congress

5. If Women Want Better Pay, Join a Union. More studies on the gender wage gap in our country

6. Mrs. Green's Workers Launch Support Website The illegally fired workers have launched a website to garnish more support for their fight against a multi-national employer, check it out.

7. Ikea Raises the Minimum Wage for US Employees to Average Over $10 per hour

8. Walmart Owes Damages to Former Canadian Workers

9.  France Passes- Anti-Amazon Bill- To Help Small Bookstores

10. Obama: US Must Strengthen Unions

11.  Fox News Wants Less PR, More Action from Republicans If you haven't heard, Republicans want to sue President Obama.  Yes, you read it right.  Well, even Fox News says, enough with the games, and fix America's problems.

12. Union-Made Shopping List for 4th of July Do your celebration right on the nation's birthday.  Products made by union workers.

13. The Pitchforks are Coming. An editorial warning from a billionaire.

 

Shameless Plugs:

 

UFCW 1500 June Newspaper Available Online

• Join the UFCW 1500 Cancer Kickers Team and Start Fundraising to battle Cancer!
   
• UFCW Blood Drive and BBQ is July 15th

 

Related articles

• Walmart, Wages, and the Public Good

ShopRite Contracts Ratified

UFCW's OnPoint, a weekly synopsis of what's going on within the UFCW nation wide, covered the ShopRite vote.  Here's what they had to say below:

Last week, UFCW Local 1500 members who work in over 15 ShopRite stores in the greater New York area ratified new three-year contracts. The new agreements provide for wage increases, premiums for part-timers and full-timers, improved working hours for night crews, and preserve pensions. The new agreements also recognize same-sex marriage. The contracts cover over 3,100 ShopRite workers. 

“We’re extremely proud of our negotiating committees,” said UFCW Local 1500 President Bruce W. Both. “Their com- mitment to their union and to bettering their coworkers’ lives achieved higher wage increases and premiums for full and part-timers. That’s what made this a success. These contracts will guide us into negotiations with Stop & Shop and King Kullen in December.”

Customers to Call for Boycott at Mrs. Green's Natural Market in Mt. Kisco, Joining Fired Workers on Picket Line

Customers to Call for Boycott at Mrs. Green's Natural Market in Mt. Kisco, Join Fired Workers on Picket Line

Community members are calling for boycott at Mrs. Green's Natural Market and demanding 9 long-term employees are reinstated

Related Media

Fired workers on picket line in front of the Mt. Kisco store

• Former 10-year employee of Mrs. Green's Mt. Kisco handbills customers to let them know she was fired

Nine longtime workers were recently fired from their jobs at Mrs. Green's Natural Market in Mt. Kisco, N.Y.. Most workers have been with the company for over a decade. Workers were recently speaking with elected officials on organizing a union and improving their workplace. When customers heard about the firings, they were outraged and are now demanding the fired workers they have come to know over the last 10-years be reinstated. Community members are joining the picket line to demonstrate to the company they will not stand for this kind of treatment of employees.

WHO:	Westchester community members, former Mrs. Greens customers, 9 fired workers from Mrs. Green's Mt. Kisco, UFCW Local 1500.
WHAT:	Community members and former customers to protest the firings of 9 long-time employees and demand workers are reinstated.
WHEN:	Saturday February 08, 2014 at 10:00AM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
WHERE:	Mrs. Green's Natural Market 666 Lexington Ave. Mt. Kisco, New York 10549
NOTES:	Photo/video opportunities, customer interviews, fired worker interviews, union spokesperson interviews. www.ufcw1500.org

Related articles

• Mt. Kisco Natural Market Fires Nine Employees After Meeting With Elected Officials on Union Campaign

Endorsement of Kathleen Rice for 4th Congressional District, NY

Kathleen Rice and UFCW Local 1500 President Bruce Both

We're pleased to announce the endorsement of Kathleen Rice for Congressional District 4 in Nassau County. Kathleen's commitment to working families and our Local as District Attorney of Nassau County has made her a proven leader.  We're pleased to support her run for Congress.

Check out our press release below:

State's Largest Grocery Workers Union Endorses Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice for Congress

Union Cites Rice's Unwavering Commitment to Nassau County Families

WESTBURY, NY (01/30/2014)= United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Local 1500, representing over 22,000 New York State grocery workers, announced today that they have endorsed Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice to be the next Congresswoman from New York's 4th Congressional District. The Union cited D.A. Rice's nationally recognized effort to combat drunk driving and drugs which are issues of great importance to the membership of Local 1500.

"District Attorney Kathleen Rice has proven to be a leader who has the ability to be creative, courageous and forward thinking when it comes to the issues that affect the families of Nassau County," said Bruce W. Both, President of UFCW Local 1500.

"It was Kathleen Rice who fought drugs and the crime they bring to the neighborhoods of Long Island. Through her efforts there has been a significant reduction in crime and violence in Nassau County. Whether as an Assistant District Attorney in New York City, as a Homicide Prosecutor in Brooklyn, Assistant United States Attorney or as a Federal Prosecutor in the Philadelphia office of the Department of Justice, Kathleen Rice is a proven leader," Both stated.

"The people of the 4th Congressional District would be well served by sending Kathleen Rice to Washington, DC. UFCW Local 1500 is proud to endorse Kathleen Rice to be the next Representative of the 4th CD and believes she is exactly the type of leader necessary to bring all New Yorkers together," President Both concluded.

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United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, based out of Westbury, New York, represents grocery workers in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties. Members of Local 1500 are employed by A&P/Pathmark, Fairway, Stop and Shop, Gristedes, D'Agastino, Key Food, Shop Rite and King Kullen.

Stay up to date with UFCW Local 1500 on twitter @ufcw1500, facebook.com/ufcw1500, www.ufcw1500.org.

Contact UFCW Local 1500 at info@ufcw1500.org.

Mt. Kisco Natural Market Fires Nine Employees After Meeting With Elected Officials on Union Campaign

Official Logo, UFCW Local 1500

"Mrs. Green's Natural Market Fires 9 Longtime Employees for Supporting Union"- Labor Union

Union says 9 longtime employees were abruptly fired after supporting union and meeting with local politicians on improving working conditions

After standing up for their basic civil rights and speaking to local elected officials about solving problems at their job, nine workers from Mrs. Green's Natural Market in Mt. Kisco, NY were abruptly fired last week. The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1500 called the firings '"retaliation" for standing up for "basic, protected, civil rights" and "supporting the union".

All of nine fired employees supported the union in a highly contested union election in May 2013. After employees filed charges that Mrs. Green's was violating their civil rights, the Federal Government charged Mrs. Green’s with violating labor laws.  Subsequently, Mrs. Green's committed in writing, to the National Labor Relations Board that it would respect its employees' rights to join and support a union, and refrain from retaliation. It posted a federally-issued notice in the Mt. Kisco store, informing employees of their basic rights at work, including the right to organize a union.

Reneging on its promise to the workers and the government, it has fired nine long-term employees, eight of whom have been with the company for over seven years and the least senior for over three years.

"They told me I was fired for poor customer service and that sales were low," said David Ramirez, an eight year employee who was fired last week. "It came as a shock to me and all of us, we were all told the same reasons for being fired. It's not a coincidence that all of us supported the union. I just stood up for what I believe in," said Ramirez.

The union has filed federal charges against the company on behalf of the fired employees and is planning a comprehensive public outreach campaign with Mt. Kisco community members. "Not only are the firings a retaliation, but Mrs. Green's has demonstrated a clear disrespect for labor law, and basic civil rights of their employees," said Secretary-Treasurer Tony Speelman, "These brave employees were not just on the job for a few days, some of them have over 10 years experience at Mrs. Green's. It disgusts me a company would sink this low to prevent workers from banding together to improve their workplace."

"It is a fundamental right of all Americans to participate in a union election without facing intimidation, interrogations, threats that their store will close and they will lose their jobs. Mrs. Green's management did every thing in their power to deny these workers their rights under law," Union Organizing Director Aly Waddy said, "Now, with these unjust firings, Mrs. Green's is following through with their threats, they've fired employees who have stood up for their fundamental rights as Americans, and intimidated even more workers."

"Mrs. Green's pledges a commitment to good food and good health for their customers but as soon as we united to demand good jobs, Mrs. Green's true colors came out," said Marta Urgiles, an employee of over 10 years who was fired last week, "We've supported the company and community of Mt. Kisco for years, for it to end like this, right after the holidays, is despicable" said Urgiles.

Community members throughout Mt. Kisco were outraged to hear the news of the firings and have reached out to the fired workers to pledge their support.

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United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1500, based out of Westbury, New York, represents grocery workers in New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess Counties. Members of Local 1500 are employed by A&P/Pathmark, Fairway, Stop and Shop, Gristedes, D'Agastino, Key Food, Shop Rite and King Kullen. Stay up to date with UFCW Local 1500 on twitter @ufcw1500, facebook.com/ufcw1500, www.ufcw1500.org.

What's News Today

Unions look to create middle class jobs for pot-growers in New York.

Whole Foods is extending more money to farmers, but their stock took a huge hit this week.  Fresh Market has also been downgraded to "STRONG SELL".

When a Superfresh and a Pathmark closed doors, opportunity opened for Walmart to expand stores for groceries near Atlantic City.

Melissa Mark Viverito was elected as the new speaker of the New York City Council, unanimously.  Melissa has been a champion of workers' rights and has been outspoken on protecting New York City from Walmart.

This editorial board from Oregon sets the record straight on "Right to Work" legislation.

Right-to-work is a misnomer. If proponents were straight with us, they’d call these transparently vindictive efforts a “Right to Weaken Unions Act” or a “Right to Punish Those Who Oppose Us Measure.” The laws drain money from unions under the guise of creating a more business-friendly environment for states.

Millennial's are the key to fighting back against Low Wages in our country.   An Illinois Gubernatorial candidate actually proposed to cut the minimum wage by $1...Then realized, not smart.