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.

Day of Action to Support Mrs. Green's Workers Going Back to Work

This week, UFCW and UFCW/RWDSU Locals throughout Region 1 participated in a day of action on July 22, 2014 to support the eight unlawfully fired workers returning to work at Mrs. Green’s Natural Market.   The eight workers were leading union supporters in a closely contested union election in May 2013.   

Afterwards, Mrs. Green’s was federally charged for intimidating and interrogating employees.  The charges were settled after Mrs. Green’s agreed to create a safe, intimidation free atmosphere, and post a federally issued notice on workers’ right to organize.  In January 2014 the eight workers were unlawfully fired for “poor job performance”.  The workers had over 60 years combined experience, some of them worked at the store for over 13 years.  Local 1500 filed more charges, alleging the firings were in retaliation for their union support.   Workers had been on a picket line in front of the store for over six months until the company settled and agreed to return the workers with back pay, days before a federal hearing on July 24, 2014.  The day of action commemorated the workers’ victory, fighting back against a multi-national employer.     

“We're returning to work with the same fears we had in November, when we faced intimidation and threats before we were ultimately fired.  We still need protection at work and we still need your support.  The last time we worked inside the store, Mrs. Green’s illegal treatment of us led to the most difficult times in our lives, so thank you all for your support!” said Yesica Mendez, one of the eight unlawfully fired workers who returned to work on July 22.

Monday Mornin' One-Liners: 99% Spring & Whole Foods in BK x2

The UFCW has joined the 99% spring, a movement to train activists throughout the spring of 2012.

April 9-15 we will gather across America, 100,000 strong, in homes, places of worship, campuses and the streets to train ourselves in non-violent action and join together in the work of reclaiming our country. History is calling; it’s time to step up.

American Labor Leaders are planning a door-to-door approach to help Obama's presidential campaign.

Christine Quinn has said she cannot support a paid sick days bill. 

The bill “will cost us jobs and cost us small businesses and their future in these tough economic times,” Quinn added, again using the same words spoken in January.

Great read from The Open Salon: The War Against Economic Recovery, highlights our Target Change campaign, and how our road to economic recovery starts with businesses creating good jobs.

Ad Age looks at retail in a piece focused on Target, Walmart & Kohls in: 'Size Matters in Retail'

Whole Foods is coming to Brooklyn, again.  They'll be moving into the heart of Willyburg at 242 Bedford, a 2nd Brooklyn Site.

Last week we came out against the NY GOP Senate's move to repeal the Wage Theft Prevention Act, a bill designed to protect workers and ensure they're getting paid the correct wages, the Huffington Post picked up the story.

A&P announced they're emerged from bankruptcy last week, they also named a new CFO.

UFCW Local 8 began picketing at Fresh and Easy stores last week.  In These Times (a great working blog) writes more about the clash between Fresh & Easy and San Fran natives.

Walmart in South Africa: 503 jobs reinstated as conditions of merger.  

Must Read: Not a mobster or a monster, just a union activist.

This is not just my job. It’s my lifestyle: I am a union activist. Yup, I'm one of those “maniacs” marching out on the streets with a sign that reads “STRIKE.”  But while some critics have slammed union activists as “mobsters,” I sure don’t look like what they might expect: I wear floral dresses, pink lipstick and talk to workers about their rights over coffee and jelly donuts.

Update on RWDSU's campaign Wash NY: East Harlem car wash workers confront owner over pay and working conditions.

Couldn't make the General Membership meeting last week? Check out the recap in our Blog.

Friday Weeks End One Liners: Pathmark, Walmart's 2nd No Show, Aldi's NY Invasion

Image via Wikipedia

#Pathmark/ #A&P 

Borough President Marty Markowitz says he'll help find a replacement for the Pathmark closing in Brooklyn.

Daily News: Sheepshead Bay Pathmark soon to close, leaving void in neighborhood. 

Newark Post: A&P Seeks Bankruptcy Court Permission to close Glassgow Pathmark.

A&P Names 6 new Execs after announcing the closing of 32 stores.

Philly.com: A&P Closing 10 Philly Area Stores.

Progressive Grocer: A&P Shuttering 32 Stores.

The Real Deal: Sheepshead Bay Pathmark Closing.

NBC Philly: Hundreds of Jobs on the line with A&P closures.

#WalmartNYC

Yesterday, the New York City Council held a hearing on Walmart's labor history.  The hearing was filled with testimonies from Women's Advocacy groups, former Walmart employees, Unions, Attorneys, Gay Advocacy groups, Researchers & community groups.  Though Walmart was extended an invitation, they did not attend, again. 

The RWDSU recapped yesterday's hearing

NELP: That's A LOT of Wage Theft, Walmart! Testimony of Annette Bernhardt, Ph.D.   

Crain's: Walmart Hearings, Round 2.

Defending Walmart is a fireable offense @NYObserver 

Fox: No Love for Walmart in NYC.

Melissa Mark Viverito debates Walmart in NYC on NY1, check it out!

#Elsewhere

Borders Bookstore has filed for bankruptcy and announced they'll be closing 200 stores.

Target is opening a smaller format store in Chicago, seems like a growing trend for cookie cutter stores trying to break into urban markets.

Walmart in South Africa, 'The Beast in the Bush'; Economist.

WSJ: Pressure on Walmart to show strategy.

Take action on behalf of the workers in Wisconsin! From the UFCW International:

Workers and their allies in Wisconsin are gearing up for a drawn out fight with the state's new Republican governor Scott Walker, who has announced a plan to roll back state government employee rights by decades, and has called on the Wisconsin legislature to enact it quickly--calling out the National Guard if necessary!  

Head here for more info and to help out the workers in Wisconsin! http://www.ufcwaction.org/site/PageServer?pagename=UFCW_Leg_Wisconsin 

Bloomberg's new City budget calls for over 6,000 teaching job cuts.

UFCW President and Change to Win Chair, Joe Hansen Denounces Congressman Boehner’s Pro-Unemployment Remarks. [Press Release]

Consumerist: Walmart says returning books and magazines is illegal?

Aldi (under the Trader Joe's corporate umbrella) had their grand opening in NYC (Queens) today. They have huge expectations for NYC. [Press Release]  They've also said, they're not done opening stores in NYC.   

via Crain's: In the Bronx, Aldi signed a lease at 1750 E. Gun Hill Rd. near the Westchester County line in a nearly vacant shopping center. The 18,000-square-foot store is expected to open late this year, though construction has not begun yet.
In Bayshore, Aldi has a space at 1851 Sunrise Highway. The Rego Park store is located at 61-11 Junction Boulevard.

It's great to see affordable supermarkets opening, though, Aldi stores don't generate many jobs for communities, and the jobs that they do provide aren't union.   We see Target opening smaller stores in Chicago and Walmart focusing on smaller store formats, these stores are looking to eliminate jobs and replace them with more demanding working conditions for less pay.  Not only do we need healthy and affordable food options, but we need jobs that provide paths for career development, health care and provide solid, sound means to supporting families. Enjoy your weekend and as former Walmart worker Kenneth James said to me yesterday after his testimony, "Keep fighting the good fight."  

Wednesday Afternoon One Liners...

Labor Notes: Mott's Strike Enters Month 3, Seeks National Support

Yesterday, N.Y. State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli visited the Mott's picket line. [Press Release]  The Daily News also picked up the story.

More @ RWDSU

Check out WNYLabor's video on Mott's.

Sour Apples: Mott's Workers Continue to Strike as Harvest Season Looms....

Wal-Mart has quietly been raising prices. [The Daily Finance]

N.Y. State Senate rejected the Farm Workers Bill: The measure would require farmers to pay workers time-and-a-half wages and provide 24 consecutive hours of rest each week. Collective-bargaining rights would also be extended to employees who work on farms that record more than $650,000 in gross income over a year.

Foxwoods is appealing their UFCW representation vote. The casino and its tribal owner, the Ledyard-area Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, last week disclosed its intention to appeal. Bartenders, drink servers, and bar porters voted 190-145 to affiliate with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 371.

Steven Jenkins, cheese impresario and senior manager of Fairway Market in New York City has written an Op-Ed in The Gourmet Retailer.

Sam's Club is adding WiFi?

Missed the UFCW's Panel on Immigration Reform? You can watch it here.

Friday News at Noon: Shaw's Workers Need Your Support

From UFCW: Shaw's Workers Need Your Support!   Call Supervalu CEO Craig Herkert today at (952) 828-4000 - tell him that the 300 workers Supervalu’s subsidiary Shaw’s forced out on strike in Methuen, Mass. almost two months ago deserve to be treated fairly and that Supervalu should sit down at the bargaining table for a quick and fair resolution.

Stop and Shop gets key approvals for move to Hyde Park: [Poughkeepsie Journal]
Plans for Stop & Stop to move from its current store at Saint Andrews Road and Route 9 to the Hyde Park Mall can now begin in earnest...What will happen to the current Stop & Shop building is unclear....

Pro's Ranch Cuts 300 Workers in Immigration Probe: [Supermarket News]
The supermarket has released more than 300 employees at its six Phoenix-area stores — 20% of its workforce there — because they were found to be working without proper work authorization documentation.
The audits are part of a national process that began nationally last July and that have been conducted at more than 1,600 businesses across the U.S....

Related:

Reason.com: How Immigration Crackdowns Backfire.

RWDSU/UFCW Local 220 Authorizes Strike: [Press Release]

"We want to reach an agreement with Mott's," said RWDSU Representative Ron Duncan. "We stand ready to bargain but the company has taken this position that we should just shut up and accept whatever they are offering. It's really disgraceful that they want to take away from their employees at a time when the company is doing well." 
Over 300 members of Local 220 voted to authorize a strike if no agreement can be reached with Mott's for workers at the company's Williamson, NY facility. The vote, which was 250-5, gives authorization for the union to call a strike if the company continues to engage in unfair labor practices and refuses to bargain.





Elsewhere

Pepsi has rolled out Recycling Kiosks titled, "Dream Machine".

U.S. Organic Product Sales Reach $26.6B in 2009.

Racked looks inside the highly anticipated Chelsea Trader Joe's.

Victory for Canadian Farmworkers: Quebec's labour relations commission has cut out language in the province's labour code that had blocked seasonal farm workers from unionizing.

Downtown Express: Battery Park City may get a new Greenmarket...

Ron Burkle buys 7% of Whole Foods, Stop and Shop deploys 50 "Scan it" units, Wal-Mart pays another fine, and Friday Morning One Liners...

Image by tattoodjj via FlickrStop and Shop deploys 'Scan it!' in 50 stores....More from Supermarket News.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, said fourth-quarter profit will miss its forecast and predicted January revenue may be little changed as customers curb spending globally.

Greater Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. reported a fiscal third-quarter loss of $13.6 million, or $1.61 a share.

Billionaire Ronald Burkle bought 7% of Whole Foods. Here's more from Progressive Grocer.

Stock in Whole Foods Market here was up more than 22% Thursday after funds associated with Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. revealed they had acquired 7% of the retailer on the open market.
Read more of this story

Stuart Applebaum released a statement in response to a Thursday's announcement by Macy's Inc. that it will close 11 stores in nine states. The stores to be closed are in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Nashville and other locations.

BJ's Sales are up single digits.

Wal-Mart has paid the Southern District of Texas a &637,000 fine to resolve numerous alleged record-keeping violations of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act.

Wal-Mart's private label could increase by 40%.

Fresh & Easy here has introduced 98-cent Produce Packs in response to a sharp spike in its sales of canned foods over the past few months, particularly canned fruits and vegetables, according to a company release.
Read more of this story

Wegman's is now offering free antibiotics.

Supervalu on Wednesday said it would close 50 struggling stores by next month and slash its capital budget for the coming fiscal year, as it continues to adjust to a rough economy.
Read more of this story

Politics
Adirondack Daily Enterprise mentioned UFCW Local 1500's praise of Patterson's State of the State.

Sarah Palin declares war against Tina Fey, Caroline Kennedy & Katie Couric.

Long Island could get an additional $104M in federal stimulus.

More on Patterson's 'soda tax'

Thursday quick news briefs...

Image via Wikipedia

The SI Advance covered yesterday's 'Politics of Food Conference'.

Strong food and gasoline sales are more than making up for sluggish general merchandise at BJ’s Wholesale Club, which on Wednesday reported a 24% increase in quarterly profits, sparked in part by falling gasoline prices.
Read more of this story

Democrats accused Sen. Frank Padavan's supporters of launching a massive effort to discard paper ballots cast by minority voters.

The leaders of the 100,000-member Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU, UFCW) yesterday pledged their support for Congressional efforts to save the beleaguered U.S. auto industry.

Workers from the sushi eatery 'Republic' are seeking over $1 million for unpaid overtime.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Bargain Hunters Lifted BJ's Stores in Quarter

Bj's in Brooklyn, Wal-Mart heading to court again and Monday Morning One Liners..

Where and what is local in your supermarket? NY Times highlights the trend of using the word 'local' in supermarkets.

How one business man helped saved the Long Island Farms: Mr. Casa is being hailed as a hero to Long Island growers, having devised a creative way to move local produce to the shelves of 50 King Kullen supermarkets without the farmers having to deal with the false promises of other buyers or unscrupulous brokers.

NY Times continues to cover the illustrious Eli Zabar and his new Farm.

NY Times: Brooklyn residents admit 'Big Box isn't that bad'.

A car plowed through a CVS next to a King Kullen in Staten Island yesterday.

The Daily News covers BJs' Plan to open two stores in Brooklyn, "BJ's wants to put in two stores, but it doesn't answer the needs of the community - they need a supermarket," said Grocery Workers Union organizer Pat Purcell.

The Real Deal covers the story as well... "A lease has been signed at a Thor Equities-owned former bus depot at 1824 Shore Parkway, near Ceasar's Bay shopping center in Bensonhurst. No lease has been signed yet at the Brooklyn Terminal Market on Foster Avenue and Avenue D in Canarsie, the site of an old Key Food storage facility. "

A UFCW protest in Binghamton is getting press.

The NY Sun writes on Balducci's expansion to Dubai. Eventually Balducci's will have three outlets in Dubai.

The NY Times compares Porchetta prices in Gourmet NYC stores, including Fairway, Grace's, Agata....

Honeywell International is moving some manufacturing operations out of the company's central New York plant, eliminating nearly 300 jobs. Honeywell officials announced Thursday that the Morristown, N.J.-based company will shift some operations in the town of Skaneateles (skan-ee-AT'-les), 15 miles west of Syracuse, to a location in China within a year.

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) and Tyson Foods have reached an agreement in Tennessee.

US employers and unions battle over proposed labour laws [Guardian (U.K.)]

Verizon And 2 Unions Reach Pact For 3 Years

Wal-Mart

Canada's highest court agreed to hear an appeal by former employees of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. who say the company closed a Quebec store because of a union drive.

The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear two cases stemming from Wal-Mart’s controversial closing of a unionized store in Quebec, the court here said.
Read more of this story

Wal-Mart Stores told SN Friday the small-format Marketside stores it plans to unveil this fall in the Phoenix area are part of "a small-scale pilot, and we have no plans [for the format] beyond a handful of stores." The comment, from a Wal-Mart spokesman, came in response to a report published in the Financial Times of London that quoted the Marketside website as saying the company expected to start with 10 stores and evolve to between 1,000 and 1,500 locations with more than $10 billion in annual sales.

A UFCW protest on the opening day of a 'Fresh & Easy' was effective.

Politics

Lawmakers who supported a property-tax-cap bill while the Senate was in Albany last week could pay a steep political price.State AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes said it's possible the 2 million-member labor federation will withhold endorsements in key races that involve senators who voted "yes" on the cap when its member unions meet for their annual convention next week. "There's talk about holding back," Hughes said.

Four members of the New York City congressional delegation stood on the steps of City Hall August 4 to endorse State Sen. Martin Connor (D-Brooklyn/Manhattan), a 30-year incumbent who faces a grueling primary against a feisty insurgent, for reelection.

Tuesday Morning One Liners...

Morning blurbs

Fresh Direct is offering groceries and produce at a discount to the entire South Bronx.

Rite Aid Corp. has agreed to pay New Jersey up to $650,000 to settle a lawsuit charging that dozens of its stores in the state sold expired infant formula, baby food, and over-the-counter medications.

Unions plan to rally in favor of the contentious $3 billion Willets Point redevelopment on Thursday at City Hall, as the Bloomberg administration moves closer to getting approval for the project. Last week, the city reached land-purchase agreements with three businesses, but several landowners still oppose the project that will develop housing, retail business, a hotel and convention center on 62 acres in northeast Queens. The public review process has begun, and Community Board 7 held a public meeting last week.

The prospect that Barack Obama will face labor troubles at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this August is increasing.

A&P here yesterday released a summary of year-ago financial results from Pathmark Stores, adjusted to conform with A&P’s financial calendar and to conform with A&P accounting practices.
Read more of this story

A new three-year labor contract has been approved covering more than 4,300 workers at Rite Aid Corp. drug stores in the northern two-thirds of California.

One Blog thinks RWDSU Local 338 President John Durso is calling for government run supermarkets.

Speaking of incentives....Central Grocers here will receive $3.9 million in incentives from Illinois to relocate its distribution center from here to Joliet, Ill.
Read more of this story

Ralphs Supermarkets in California, a division of Kroger Co., Cincinnati, is poised to lower prices at all of its Southern California stores tomorrow, according to an ad in a regional newspaper.
Read more of this story

Online grocer FreshDirect here has selected AirClic, Trevose, Pa., to facilitate the tracking of its grocery delivery orders from its Long Island City warehouse facility to customers' doorsteps.
Read more of this story

Politics

With Joe Bruno's exit, Senate reign in sight for state Democrats