The announcement follows weeks of bargaining between the union and King Soopers, in which the company “tried to prevent the workers from standing together with each other in the stores, refused to produce information critical to these negotiations, and failed to bargain in good faith with the union” according to UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova.

Like many workers, King Soopers employees have struggled to support themselves amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while the company posted record profits.

The strike will involve approximately 8400 workers at 78 stores and will mark the first time Colorado grocery workers have gone on strike since 1996.

A strike at a major grocery chain like King Soopers is a sign of the increased militancy workers have displayed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the last six months, there were major nationwide strikes at Nabisco, John Deere, and Kellogg’s, as well as a narrowly-avoided strike by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). Then in November, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters elected new militant leadership in the form of the Teamsters United Slate led by Sean O’Brien and Fred Zuckerman. All over the country, workers are fed up and they’re fighting back.

#DenverCO #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedFoodAndCommercialWorkers #Strikes #DenverKingSoopers

On December 28, the UFCW sued the company in the U.S. District Court of Denver for violating the collective bargaining contract. The union alleges that the recent hiring of temporary, non-union workers is a strategy to hire “gig workers” to avoid providing full benefits. The company also went behind the union’s back during negotiations and released a partial contract proposal to employees that left out concessions that employees would have to make. This was correctly seen by the union as a deliberate attempt by King Soopers to mislead their workers into accepting a subpar agreement.

During this evolving pandemic, Local 7 says they have been ignored and disregarded by King Soopers. Workers received hazard pay for only two months at the beginning of the pandemic. Now, the company is trying to roll even more back, including ending emergency pay and time off for COVID expenses.

These concessionary proposals are even more insulting considering that nearly a thousand employees for King Soopers tested positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic. Of those employees infected, five died from the virus. “The workers have been on the front lines, just like health care workers. They’re the critical link to the food supply chain,” UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova said. “Instead of coming in and sharing their profits, the companies have come in asking for outrageous concessions.”

The union membership voted to authorize a strike, but workers won’t walk off the job until UFCW leadership officially calls the strike. If a strike is called, it will be the first time that UFCW Local 7 has struck since 1996. The strike vote will no doubt strengthen the union’s position in any future bargaining.

The strike vote comes during a period of increased labor militancy across the country, with the recent strikes at Nabisco, Kellogg’s and John Deere. A tighter labor market caused by what some call “The Great Resignation” also bolstered the bargaining power of workers. By authorizing a strike, workers at King Soopers took a stand for themselves and the entire working class and they all deserve the fullest support.

#DenverCO #PeoplesStruggles #UnitedFoodAndCommercialWorkers #Strikes

North Miami Beach, FL – Around 45 people stood outside of the Walmart here with signs and banners on Black Friday to protest the company's unfair treatment of its workers. OUR Walmart and United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) organized this event as part of a nation-wide call to action against the egregious working conditions faced by Walmart employees.

Workers from Walmart throughout the area were joined by family members, community organizers and activists. They demanded living wages, benefits, vacation time and respect from the company that currently offers none of that to its workers.

Most of the workers in attendance were immigrants from Haiti and Central America, and they most addressed the crowd with pride and anger in Spanish and Creole.

“I'm standing here as part of the fight by Walmart associates,” said Walmart worker Theresa Charles in her native Haitian Creole. “Walmart does not give us good pay, it does not give us any rights and it does not give us any justice!”

The message was one of international solidarity among workers, as those in attendance spoke also about the garment workers in Haiti and Bangladesh who work for Walmart and other major companies and who are in the process of striking for better conditions as well.

“Walmart, Walmart you're no good, treat your workers like you should,” the crowd shouted in unison, along with, “From Haiti to Miami, raise the wage!”

Drivers, pedestrians and members of the community honked and waved in solidarity and many even joined the crowd. They were drawn in after hearing the words of the workers themselves through the megaphones.

“The only real way to topple this company is from the inside! The only way to bring change to this company is from the inside!” said UFCW organizer Shannan Reace to the crowd. “So I am very happy to stand with workers here and throughout the world and put the money behind the people and not behind the rich Waltons!”

Members of the People's Opposition to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR), Rapid Response Network, South Florida Interfaith Worker Justice and other progressive organizations were present as well and addressed the crowd.

“Every worker deserves a living wage, benefits and dignity,” said Kim Miller of POWIR. “And the billions that Walmart has made has not trickled down to the worker, and that has to change because without the workers there is no Walmart!”

#NorthMiamiBeachFL #UnitedFoodAndCommercialWorkers #LivingWage #workersRights #WalmartStrike #OURWalmart

Among those joining the march were students from Los Angeles's Roosevelt High School. “It was great to see so many people march together to support the strikers and I did not know there were so many different unions!” said Roosevelt High senior Martha Aguilar, Student Organizer for Centro CSO.

Since Oct. 11, 70,000 southern California grocery workers have been on strike against Safeway owned stores, or locked out by Albertson's and Kroger-owned stores. Employers want to impose a takeaway contract that cuts health care benefits.

Health care benefits have emerged as a key issue in strikes and contract talks across the country. California grocery workers are on the front lines of this battle. Their fight deserves the support of all trade unionists and other progressive people.

#InglewoodCA #News #UnitedFoodAndCommercialWorkers #GroceryWorkersStrike #Safeway

Safeway CEO Steve Hurd made cutting medical care his highest priority for 2004 – to increase profits for Wall Street. Hurd has claimed that WalMart’s non-union workforce, which receives few medical benefits, hurts Safeway and he demands that Safeway workers pay more. Albertson’s and Krogers stores quickly joined Safeway in expressing ‘corporate solidarity,’ forcing over 70,000 workers to the picket lines across southern California. Grocery workers wouldn’t join the race to the bottom. They chose to fight.

About two thirds of the strikers are women, many single mothers. About one third are Latino, Asian or African-American.

The strike has received strong support from the public and others in the trade union movement. Union workers all over have supported the strike through rallies, food donations and walking the picket line for months. As we go to press, there are massive mobilizations in California to back the strike.

Supermarket chains are demanding a two-year freeze on current workers’ salaries and lower pay for newly hired workers. They also want employees to pay more for health insurance. Health care has emerged as a key issue in union contracts across the country. California supermarket owners are playing hardball, and the outcome of the health care issue will have national implications.

“I’m fine with paying my fair share for health care coverage,” said striker Angelica Medina, “But they are demanding to reduce our benefits while making us pay more. I’m really upset because they know how hard we work, and that we need to support our families.”

The union is urging people to boycott Safeway-owned stores anywhere in the United States. They include Vons, Safeway, Pavilions, Carrs, Dominick’s, Randalls, Tom Thumb and Genuardi’s.

#California #CA #News #UnitedFoodAndCommercialWorkers #GroceryWorkersStrike #Safeway

The Smithfield Packing Plant in the small town of Tar Heel, North Carolina opened in 1992. It is the largest pork-processing facility in the world, with roughly 5500 workers who slaughter and cut up over 30,000 hogs a day.

In 1994 when the workers at the plant first held a union election they were met with violence, harassment and threats of all kinds, including racist attempts to divide the workers of the plant against each other based on nationality. Smithfield Packing Company’s attempts at illegal union busting did not stop there. The level of intimidation continued through the next election attempt in 1997. Union materials were destroyed, leading organizers fired and any support for the union was met with coercion and intimidation from the bosses. Nine years later the United States Court of Appeals ruled that Smithfield Packing Company repeatedly broke the law in its attempts to stop the union. The threats from this company have remained over these long years and the demands of the workers have remained unrepresented or unheard.

The nationwide Justice for Smithfield Campaign worked hard to raise awareness of the workers struggle in the broader community. The campaign fought to build solidarity between trade unionists, student activists, community organizers and the workers of the Tar Heel plant. Under such immense mass pressure, Smithfield finally broke down to sit at the table with the workers in early this December. From this meeting came an agreement, which declared that the workers would be allowed a “fair election process” and in turn the workers and their allies would end the public campaign against Smithfield Packing.

“When workers have a fair process, they choose a voice on the job,” said UFCW director of organizing Pat O’Neill. “This is a great victory for the Tar Heel workers. I know they are looking forward to sitting down at the bargaining table with Smithfield to negotiate a contract.”

The workers of Smithfield and their many supporters in the Justice for Smithfield Campaign have shown the strength a movement for unionization can have. Their determination and resolve over 14 years of struggle has culminated today in a brilliant victory.

#TarHeelNC #TarHeel #News #SouthernLaborMovement #Smithfield #UnitedFoodAndCommercialWorkers #JusticeForSmithfieldCampaign

The march led the protestors right past the Williamsburg Lodge, where Smithfield executives were holding their annual shareholders meeting. There, activists and ten workers from the Tar Heel plant gave Smithfield executives petitions demanding a union and a union contract of their choice. The petition, signed by thousands of workers, put pressure on the executives and by the end of the shareholders meeting they agreed to meet with union representatives to negotiate a contract for Smithfield workers.

Abuse at the Tar Heel plant is rampant. Workers receive little or no safety training, and are forced to work at an unsafe speed of production, causing injuries. Workers are fired from their jobs if they cannot come to work because of job-related injuries and are often denied workers’ compensation. Racism and sexism are also a major problem at the Tar Heel plant, with many workers reporting sexual harassment and sexual abuse. Smithfield has kept workers from unionizing in the past through intimidation, racism and threats of bodily harm.

Justice for Smithfield workers!

Grant Smithfield workers a fair contract now!

#WilliamsburgVA #News #SouthernLaborMovement #Smithfield #UnitedFoodAndCommercialWorkers

Asheville, NC – “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” Over 40 students with the Justice at Smithfield campaign began their countrywide tour here with a spirited picket of a local Ingles supermarket. Ingles stocks Smithfield products from the notorious Smithfield hog processing plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina. The Justice at Smithfield campaign will visit several major cities in the United States in a tour to raise awareness and build solidarity between trade unions, community organizers, student activists, and the Smithfield Tar Heel plant workers.

The Smithfield plant in Tar Heel is the largest hog processing plant in the world. 32,000 hogs are slaughtered per day. Fast line speeds at the plant mean that 33 hogs are killed per minute. As a result, the 6000 low-wage workers at the Tar Heel plant are forced to labor under poor conditions and at unsafe speeds, leading to scores of injuries and even death. Smithfield has underreported injuries at the Tar Heel plant in the past, and the company has denied workers’ compensation when injury claims are filed.

Under such conditions, it is no surprise that the Tar Heel plant has been the site of a pitched battle to organize a union. Workers at the plant first contacted the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) in 1994. A union election was held that year, but the campaign was marked by surveillance, harassment, intimidation and violence. In 1997, workers at Smithfield’s Tar Heel plant held another election, which lost by a narrow margin after the company used illegal union-busting tactics to intimidate workers. Danny Priest, Chief of Police at Smithfield, was later found guilty of violations of the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871 for arresting and beating union activists after the election.

Key to Smithfield’s success in defeating the union was their policy of dividing the workers by nationality. Smithfield has reportedly long practiced a policy of placing Black, Latino and white workers into separate stations inside the plant. During the union drive, UFCW organizers and workers vocal in their support of the union were publicly attacked as “n——– lovers” by local police and management and some Latinos were threatened with deportation.

But things are turning around. Recent court decisions, notably those of the National Labor Relations Board and a federal appeals court in 2006, found Smithfield in violation of labor laws. And the Tar Heel plant workers are fighting back. Libby Manly, a community organizer with UFCW, said, “We have a very strong group of workers inside the plant signing up other workers. We have a strong organizing committee. Basically, workers are sick of getting disrespected day in and day out. Our message is simple: We’re here, we’ve got the cards signed and we’re not going away.”

While the Justice at Smithfield campaign currently aims for ‘neutrality and recognition’ at the plant, organizers are willing to move to the next level – a boycott of Smithfield products – if the company continues to ignore the demands of the Tar Heel plant workers. The organizers call for students to demand their universities drop the Tar Heel plant products from their cafeterias. And trade unionists are urged to show their solidarity with the campaign.

Jerrina Rodriguez of California State University at Bakersfield is an intern with Student Action with Farmworkers. She will be working on the Justice at Smithfield campaign this summer. When asked why she joined the campaign, Rodriguez explained, “I realized we need a change, not only for farmers, but for all workers – in the fields and in the factories. We need social justice. And we need it now.”

For more information: http://www.ufcw.org/working_america/case_against_smithfield/

#AshevilleNC #StudentMovement #News #Smithfield #HogProcessing #UnitedFoodAndCommercialWorkers #JusticeAtSmithfield