Heck - ufcw400.orgufcw400.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/UFCW400_UnLeader_M-M… · has been devoted to the cause of helping my brothers and sisters improve their lives. What could

believe that labor unions arethe greatest social institutionever created because they existto help working men and

women raise their living standards, gaina voice in the workplace, create theopportunity for a betterfuture, and take controlof their destiny.

Just think—withoutthe labor movement, wewouldn’t have a 40-hourwork week or paidvacations, we wouldn’thave health benefits orpensions, and we wouldbe at the mercy of profit-hungry employ-ers with no recourse if we were mistreat-ed or exploited.

However, with unions, anyone can geta job as a meat cutter or cashier at asupermarket, an associate at a depart-ment store, a nurse at a health careprovider, or any of a host of other profes-sions and be part of the great Americanmiddle class, with a decent income,health and retirement security, andrespect in the workplace.

That’s why I cannot imagine anygreater privilege—or any better luck—than to have spent my entire career in the

labor movement and with Local 400 inparticular.

Since I went to work at A&P in 1966,I’ve been a proud Local 400 member. For34 years, I’ve been a proud Local 400employee and officer. For the last 13

years, I’ve had thehonor of serving asLocal 400 president. Iwouldn’t trade any ofit—not for all themoney in the world—because every minutehas been devoted to thecause of helping mybrothers and sisters

improve their lives. What could possiblybe better than that?

From the late 1960s to the early2010s, it’s amazing what has changed.We’ve gone from manual cash registersto computers with bar scanners, frommimeographed flyers to the Internet.Woodie’s and Hecht’s are gone, Macy’sis here, Giant is owned by a Dutch corpo-ration and the days of local ownershipare largely past. Sadly, employers are alot more brazen about violating laborlaws and a lot more likely to get awaywith it. Certainly, many more changesneed to take place before we can achieve

true justice for working families.But as I think about my time with

Local 400—really, my entire adult life—what stands out is what hasn’t changed:the people. Members who work hard, careabout their co-workers and customers,are pillars of their communities, and con-tribute to their union. A staff who recog-nizes that working for Local 400 isn’t ajob—it’s a calling—and give of them-selves 24/7. Something else has stayedthe same, too: the spirit of activism,camaraderie and optimism that charac-terizes our great union.

That’s what I’ll miss more than any-thing when I retire in April. The membersand the spirit of Local 400.

I hope not to be a stranger. Throughmy service on several boards and organi-zations, I hope to play a role in loweringhealth care costs and strengthening ourmembers’ benefits. I also plan to volun-teer when I can. Like I said, this is a call-ing, not a job, and the calling continueseven when the job ends.

So consider this not a goodbye, but athank you for all that Local 400 membershave done for our union. It has been oneheck of a ride serving with you.

— C. James Lowthers, PresidentInternational Vice President

2 UNION LEADER MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2010

IWhat stands

out is whathasn’t changed:

the people.

Heckof a Ride

MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2010 UNION LEADER 3

UNITED FOOD &COMMERCIAL WORKERS

LOCAL 400C. James Lowthers

PRESIDENT

Thomas P. McNuttSECRETARY-TREASURER

Sue GonzalezRECORDER

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Mike BoyleJacqueline Bradley

Gregory BurtonTerry Dixon

Mark FedericiLisa Gillespie

Nelson T. GrahamJoanne Grimaldi

Mikki HarrisJames Hepner

Michele HepnerPhyllis JacksonJames M. Jarboe

Mary LaflinCalvin McGuire

Tony PerezKen PinkardOdis Price

Jerry RexroadThomas D. Rogers

W. Christian SauterCarolyn SheboraVivian SigouinLarry Southern

Linda SykesD. Rex Trabue

Mary VinesRussell Wise

EDITOR

C. James LowthersASSOCIATE EDITOR

Thomas P. McNuttCHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER

Bill BurkeDESIGN AND LAYOUT

Evans DesignEDITORIAL CONSULTANT

Bruce KozarskyThe Union Leader is published by the United Food &Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 400. Officeof Publication: Kelly Press Inc., 1701 Cabin BranchRd., Landover, Md. 20785. Editorial Office: Metro 400Building, 4301 Garden City Dr., Landover, Md. 20785.Main Office: (800) 638-0800. Subscriptions to mem-bers only.

WEB SITES:www.ufcw400.org

F E A T U R E S

C O V E R S T O R Y

The Growing MenaceWorkers, Communities Get the Royal Ahold Treatment

811141519

16A L S O I N S I D E

12 Faces of Local 400

20 Stewards Spotlight

28 Financial Report

28 All in the Family

30 Local 400 Retirees

BC Bargaining Update

March/April/May 2010

The Lowthers LegacyLocal 400’s President Leaves a Stronger Union as He Retires

Kaiser-Permanente Expands in Mid-AtlanticNew Round of Bargaining Nears

Members Prepare for Kroger BargainingRichmond/Tidewater Contract Expiring

400UNITED!Mobilizing for New Members in Virginia and Tennessee

Victory for Chesapeake Shores WorkersVote Two-to-One to Keep Local 400 Representation

The economic stimulus packageenacted by Congress and signed byPresident Obama one year ago has savedor created approximately two millionjobs so far, according to several inde-pendent economic analyses. These stud-ies document that the AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act has suc-ceeded in keeping the recession fromslipping into a Great Depression; pre-vented drastic cutbacks in schools,police, fire protection and other vitalstate and local government services; andspurred a needed new boom in repairingand building roads, bridges and otherkey parts of our infrastructure.

“Times are tough, but they would be awhole lot worse if the majority inCongress had not responded to PresidentObama’s leadership and passed theAmerican Recovery and ReinvestmentAct,” said Local 400 President JimLowthers. “It has helped keep the econo-

my from falling into an abyss and provid-ed a needed lifeline to tens of millions ofAmerican families. Its food stampincreases and middle class tax cuts havekept money moving through the economy,while its assistance to state and localgovernments and investments in ourinfrastructure have created jobs for tensof thousands of people in our area whowould otherwise be unemployed.”

Indeed, the economic stimulus hassaved or created 48,000 jobs in Virginia,36,000 jobs in Maryland and 10,000 jobsin Washington, D.C., as well as 10,000jobs in West Virginia, 79,000 in Ohio,27,000 in Kentucky and 40,000 inTennessee to date, according to theCouncil of Economic Advisers. More jobswill be created over the next year asadditional infrastructure projects fundedthrough the legislation get underway.

Over the last year, the AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act has ben-

efited working families and the economyoverall by:! Cutting taxes by $37 billion for 110 mil-

lion working families in 2009, creatingan infusion of purchasing power to helpcompensate for reduced private sectorspending.

! Lending nearly $20 billion to more than42,000 small businesses, providingthem with resources to grow and createjobs that otherwise would not havebeen available.

! Funding more than 12,500 job-creatingtransportation construction projectsnationwide.

! Providing urgently-needed relief forstate governments, with more than $50billion to prevent cuts in Medicaidprograms and nearly $60 billion foreducation—a move that governors saycreated and saved over 300,000 educa-tion jobs in the last three months of2009.

Members of Congress who voted against the AmericanRecovery and Reinvestment Act are apparently counting onthe voters to have poor memories. That’s because their “no”votes haven’t prevented 114 lawmakers from taking creditfor the spending and jobs generated in their district as aresult of the bill’s passage, according to a study by the Centerfor American Progress Action Fund. Several of these “stimulushypocrites” represent Local 400 members:! House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) voted against the

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act twice, yet recent-ly hailed a high-speed rail project in Virginia that only existsbecause of funding from the economic stimulus.

! Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) opposed the economic stimulus leg-islation, yet last fall, he criticized then-Gov.Tim Kaine (D) forbeing too slow to spend the money generated by the bill.

! Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) also voted against theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act, yet actively

helped a telecommunications provider receive $16 millionfrom the bill to promote broadband Internet access.

! Rep. Shelly Capito Moore (R-W.Va.) voted against thestimulus, yet praised a $1.5 million grant to her districtthat only happened because she failed to stop the bill’spassage.“When voters go to the polls in November, they should

remember that every single member of the U.S. House fromthe minority party voted against the economic stimulus,” saidLocal 400 Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt. “Had they pre-vailed, our nation would be in far more dire straits than it istoday.

“Of course, that hasn’t stopped them from taking creditwhen local projects are funded through the very programthey voted against,” McNutt said.

“If hypocrisy was currency, these members of Congresswould be richer than Bill Gates,” he added.

S T I M U L U S H Y P O C R I S Y


Economic Stimulus is WorkingNew Data Shows Millions of Jobs Saved and Created

• LOCAL 400 POLITICS & LEGISLATIVE WATCH • LOCAL 400 POLITICS &

Continued on page 27


LEGISLATIVE WATCH • LOCAL 400 POLITICS & LEGISLATIVE WATCH • L

When Tom Perriello edged right-wing Rep. Virgil Goode (R) towin Virginia’s fifth congressional district in central and southernVirginia, it was considered one of the most shocking upsets ofthe 2008 election. That same night in Northern Virginia, GerryConnolly won the congressional seat that had been held byretiring Rep. Tom Davis (R), a result that was less surprising butstill notable for having occurred in the 11th district, which hadbeen designed to elect Republicans.

But what Reps. Perriello and Connolly most have in commonis their consistent, uncom-promising record of supportfor Virginia’s working fami-lies since taking office,regardless of the risk to theirreelection prospects.

“Tom Perriello and GerryConnolly are profiles incourage,” said Local 400President Jim Lowthers.“Rather than running for thehills or voting with the right-wing minority, as too manyDemocrats in Congress havedone, they are standingtough and fighting for us. Inthe process, they haveshown they are leaders ofprinciple and character who have never forgotten why theyran or the voters who elected them.

“That’s why it’s especially important that Local 400members living in their districts work to help reelect thesetwo remarkable members of Congress this fall,” Lowthers said.“They’ve proven they’ve got our backs—now we must havetheir backs, too.”

Called “the most courageous man in D.C.,” by longtime polit-ical reporter Adam Clymer, Perriello voted for health care reformand for legislation to stop climate change. He was the only oneof 13 Democratic freshmen from districts won by Sen. JohnMcCain to vote for both bills.

He also fights for his constituents who are suffering the mostin the recession, voting for the economic stimulus package, anextension of unemployment benefits, and the jobs bill. “Peoplein this district are busting their backs to find a job or two to sup-port their families,” Perriello told Politics Daily. “They want some-

one who has the honor of representing them in Congress to beworking at least that hard for them.”

In addition, Perriello has taken a leadership role on keyissues. His legislation to repeal the anti-trust exemption forhealth insurance companies passed the House by a 406-19 voteon February 24. He also sponsored a bill to ban political spend-ing by corporations with foreign shareholders—a key step toprevent unwarranted foreign influence in U.S. elections after theSupreme Court ruled that businesses could spend unlimited

amounts in politics.“Tom Perriello does

what’s right and doesn’tback down,” said Local 400Secretary-Treasurer TomMcNutt. “He’s guided not bywhat pollsters say but by hisinner moral compass. Thatalone makes him a rarity inCongress, but more thanthat, it means we must givehim our strongest possiblesupport in November.”

Like Perriello, Connolly cast a pivotalvote for health care reform even thoughmany of his Democratic colleagues fromRepublican-leaning districts opposed thebill, and he was a strong supporter of leg-islation Congress enacted expanding theState Children’s Health Insurance Program(SCHIP).

Equally significant, Connolly is acosponsor of the Employee Free Choice Act, legislation thatwould empower workers who want union representation toachieve it, despite Virginia’s status as a “Right-to-Work-for-Less”state.

“Local 400 developed a long and positive working relation-ship with Gerry Connolly during his years as chairman of theFairfax County Board of Supervisors,” McNutt said, “and it’s onlygrown stronger during his time in Congress. He’s a straightshooter and he’s someone Local 400 members can count on tobe on our side.

“Control of Congress will be at stake in this fall’s election,”McNutt said. “With these two races among others, Local 400members will play a central role in deciding the outcome.”

Perriello,Connolly StandUpfor WorkingFamiliesPraised as Models for Representatives From Vulnerable Districts

Above, Rep. Gerry Connolly(D-Va.) bags groceries at theSafeway in Pan Am ShoppingCenter in Vienna, Va., as partof a fundraiser for breastcancer research.

Rep. TomPerriello

(D-Va.)

As the Maryland General Assemblymet for its 2010 legislative session, Local400 played a leadership role in severalkey battles on behalf of its members andthe state’s working families, stronglybacking legislation to stop corporate taxevasion and solve the state’s budget cri-sis, to limit corporate influence on stateand local elections, and to strengthenworker protections.

Stopping Walmart-StyleTax Evasion

While Maryland, like all states, facesa budget crisis, corporate tax evasionschemes are preventing the state fromcollecting up to $170 million in urgentlyneeded revenue.

To help Maryland avoid draconianbudget cuts that threaten public safetyand the well-being of residents, hold cor-porations accountable, and restore taxfairness, Local 400 has endorsed theCombined Reporting Act.

The legislation would end the growingpractice of corporations transferringprofits to subsidiaries created for thepurpose of evading state corporateincome taxes by requiring businesses tofile a single state tax return combiningprofits from all of their subsidiaries.

“There is never an excuse for corpora-tions to evade taxes, but it is especiallyappalling when highly profitable busi-nesses do so at a time when Marylandand other states are suffering their

worst budget crises in decades,” saidLocal 400 President Jim Lowthers.

“A company like Walmart avoids pay-ing taxes by setting up a dummy RealEstate Investment Trust to own its prop-erties, then paying rent to itself anddeducting the rental payments from itstaxes while the fake REIT’s profits gountaxed,” Lowthers explained. “It is sim-ply immoral for a corporation raking in$11 billion in annual profits to take ourmoney while refusing to pay its fairshare in state taxes to support ourschools, police, fire, health care andother vital services. We must bring thistax inequity to an end. By enacting theCombined Reporting Act, we will.”

In addition to ending the REITscheme corporations like Walmart uses,the legislation will also end what isknown as a “trademark holding compa-ny scheme,” where a chain sets up asubsidiary based in a state that does nottax certain types of corporate income,such as Delaware. The company payslicensing fees to the subsidiary fortrademarks it uses and that money goesuntaxed by any state, even though it ulti-mately winds up profiting the parentcompany.

“Too many corporations feel entitledto bend or break the rules in order tomaximize their profits,” said Local 400Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt. “Ifthey’re making money in Maryland, theyowe state taxes and they’re obligated to

pay them, no ifs, ands or buts. That’s allthis legislation does—restore tax fair-ness. To date, 22 states have adoptedCombined Reporting. For the sake of thefamilies who will suffer the most fromstate budget cuts, it’s long past time thatMaryland joined them.”

Cleaning Up ElectionsWhen five Supreme Court justices

ruled in the Citizens United case that cor-porations are now free to spend unlimit-ed amounts on political campaigns,Local 400 swiftly backed efforts to limitthe decision’s potentially devastatingimpact.

“The Supreme Court gave corpora-tions the green light to basically buyelections,” McNutt said. “They can liter-ally throw billions of dollars into cam-paigns to defeat elected officials whostand up for working families. This isnothing less than a threat to our democ-racy and we are fighting back witheverything we have.”

That’s why Local 400 is supportinglegislation before the Maryland GeneralAssembly that would:! Require corporate CEOs who want to

make political campaign expendituresin Maryland to first obtain a vote ofthe shareholders to approve theexpenditure.

! Prevent corruption by prohibiting cor-porations with state contracts fromspending money in state elections.


Local 400 Backs Maryland Inito Stop Corporate Tax EvasioLimit Corporate Influence on

• LOCAL 400 POLITICS & LEGISLATIVE WATCH • LOCAL 400 POLITICS &


itiativesn,Elections

LEGISLATIVE WATCH • LOCAL 400 POLITICS & LEGISLATIVE WATCH • L

Fighting Anti-WorkerMeasures in Virginia

! Require complete disclosure of all cor-porate campaign expenditures andcontributions alongside statements byCEOs that they “approve of this mes-sage” in TV and radio ads.

! Institute “clean election” campaignfinancing in Maryland to reduce pri-vate-interest contributions and replacethem with clean public money.“Ultimately, we need a constitutional

amendment to overturn the court’s mis-guided ruling,” McNutt said, “but in themeantime, legislation like this will pre-vent the worst abuses and limit thepotential for corruption.”

Guaranteeing Shift BreaksFor many years, Local 400 has been

fighting to pass state legislation thatwould require employees in Maryland toreceive shift breaks from their employers,but it has not yet been enacted due toopposition from Big Business. This year,bills were introduced in the state Houseand Senate mandating that retail employ-ers with 50 or more workers provide a 15-minute rest break if an employee worksbetween four and six consecutive hours,and a 30 minute rest break if any employ-ee works more than six consecutive hours.

“This is a simple common sense pro-tection all workers should be entitled to,”said McNutt. “While Local 400’s con-tracts provide for shift breaks, all corpo-rations should be held to this minimumstandard of decency.”

Elections have consequences—thatwas the message in Virginia as Gov.Bob McDonnell (R) took office and theGeneral Assembly met for its 2010 leg-islative session.

Both the new McDonnell Admin-istration and certain state legislatorshave been trying to adopt anti-workerpolicies that Local 400 and the Virginialabor movement are fighting to stop.Notably, one of McDonnell’s firstactions was to replace the head of theVirginia Department of Labor andIndustry, a move likely to result inweaker enforcement of workplacesafety and prevailing wage regulations.Rumors have also abounded thatMcDonnell is considering eliminatingthe entire department.

In the General Assembly, a spate ofanti-worker bills were introduced,notably legislation sponsored by Del.Dave Albo (R-Springfield) that wouldmake it a Class I misdemeanor for any-one to “knowingly and intentionally[fail] to provide full and complete infor-mation regarding the consequences ofa signature or a vote” on whether tobe represented by a union. The bill waswritten so vaguely and loosely that itwas apparent its real purpose was tointimidate workers trying to organize aunion by threatening them with legalprosecution. Fortunately, this and otheranti-worker bills failed to pass.

“Virginia workers get paid a wholelot less than workers in most otherstates precisely because the common-wealth’s ‘Right-to-Work-for-Less’ lawmeans that only 4.7 percent are unionmembers,” said Local 400 PresidentJim Lowthers. “Why so many Virginia

elected officials take pride in this factis beyond me, and why they would tryto enact laws creating an even morehostile environment for organizing isan outrage. The way to raise Virginians’living standards is to ensure that allworkers have a free and fair choiceabout whether to join a union—not tomake it even harder.”

Another major battle took place overthe budget. Like most states, Virginia isfacing a revenue shortfall due to therecession, but rather than try to balancethe budget in a way that is fair to all cit-izens, McDonnell proposed draconiancuts falling hardest on working andlower-income families. While limitingsome of the damage the governor’splan would have inflicted, the budgetpassed by the General Assembly never-theless makes major cuts in health careand education, while taking more than$620 million out of the state employ-ees’ pension fund.

There was some good news out ofthe legislature. Local 400 membersworking at Omega Protein won amajor victory when bills that wouldhave transferred regulation of Virginia’smenhaden fishery from the GeneralAssembly to the Virginia MarineResources Commission were soundlydefeated. Instead, legislation waspassed and sent to the governor thatextends the annual menhaden harvestquota of 109,020 metric tons for theVirginia portion of the Chesapeake Bayfor another three years. This will main-tain the members’ jobs fishing for men-haden, a small fish used commerciallyfor nutritional supplements, pet food,fish meal and other purposes.

During this time, Lowthers addresseddramatic transformations in the economyand the retail industry, while keeping theunion one step ahead of change, beefing uporganizing and member services,strengthening Local 400 staffing, andleading negotiations on a series of benefi-cial contracts.

“Since the time I became a member in1966, Local 400 has been, in my opinion,one of the most dynamic, forward-thinkingLocal Unions in the UFCW and throughoutNorth America,” Lowthers said. “When Ibecame president, I was fortunate to

inherit a strong union on the cutting edgeof the labor movement, and my goal hasalways been to hand it off to my successorin even better shape.

“The bottom line for me or any union

leader has to be how the members aredoing,” Lowthers said. “How secure aretheir jobs? Are they maintaining orimproving their standard of living? Howgood is their health and retirement securi-ty? Do they have a strong voice in theirworkplace and are their working condi-tions getting better? Are their rights beingprotected? How active are they in theirunion?

“Every step of the way, I’ve asked thesequestions and tried to make sure they gotthe right answer,” Lowthers said. “Thatdoesn’t mean we win every battle—thereare always developments beyond our con-trol and, of course, none of us is perfect.But I’ve always tried as hard as I can tohelp our members improve their lives.”

“Every Local 400 member owes JimLowthers a debt of gratitude,” said Local400 Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt. “Iknow I do. For more than three decades, hehas played a central role in building Local400 into the powerhouse we are today. Heleaves a remarkable legacy.”

Organizing SuccessLowthers joined Local 400 some 44

years ago, when he went to work at theold A&P supermarket in McLean, Va. In1968, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, andserved for four years on submarines. Afterleaving the military, Lowthers attendedNorthern Virginia Community College and

George Mason University, receiving hisbachelor’s degree in business administra-tion in 1976—expertise that would laterserve him well in bargaining with employ-ers.

After graduation, Lowthers joinedLocal 400 as an organizer. One of his earlycampaigns became a great Local 400 suc-cess story, with Lowthers serving as oneof four coordinators in helping 5,000employees of the Woodward & Lothropdepartment store chain gain union repre-sentation. It was the largest organizingvictory in the history of the Retail ClerksInternational Union, which was in theprocess of merging with the AmalgamatedMeat Cutters to form the UFCW.

“That was a model effort,” Lowtherssaid. “We were singularly focused, theworkers were energized, and it was a spir-ited, successful campaign—one that gotthe UFCW off to a great start. I certainlytried to utilize the best elements of thiseffort in organizing campaigns that fol-lowed.”

Recognized for his leadership andstrategic skill, Lowthers soon became spe-cial assistant to the president and thencollective bargaining coordinator, servingin these positions until hiselection as secre-tary-treasurerin 1988.

A pivotal era in Local 400’s history comes to an end in April as PresidentJim Lowthers retires after 13 years in the union’s highest office and 34years as an organizer and official.


THELOWTHEA STRONGER UNION

BET

Jim Lowthers explains the terms of the newShoppers Food & Pharmacy contract in 2008.

A Steady Hand inChanging Times

Over the next nine years, Lowthersserved in Local 400’s number two leader-ship position under the presidency ofThomas R. McNutt, playing a key role instrengthening the union’s financial stabil-ity, overseeing organizing campaigns,negotiating contracts, and reinvigorating

political, legislative and communityoutreach efforts.

In 1997, Lowthers was electedLocal 400 president and a UFCWinternational vice president, whileThomas P. McNutt was elected sec-retary-treasurer. Local 400 wasgrowing and had become the largestlocal union within the UFCW, asLowthers worked to take the

union’s power to improve mem-bers’ lives to new levels.

During his tenure as president,Lowthers had to deal with dramaticchanges in the industries employing Local400 members. The locally-owned Giantsupermarket chain was sold to the Dutch-based multinational Royal Ahold NV in1998. Similarly, Shoppers Food Warehouse,as it was then known, was bought byRichfood Holdings in 1998, which was

then acquired by the national conglomer-ate Supervalu in 1999.

The retail industry was under-going similar upheaval. The MayCompany-owned Hecht’s depart-ment store chain had merged

ERSLEGACYTER LIVES FOR MEMBERS

Continued on next page

Jim Lowthers discussesthe new Giant and

Safeway contracts atthe D.C. Armory in 2008.

Jim Lowthersspeaks at a 2003 rally

in support of thestriking CaliforniaSafeway workers.


with Woodward & Lothrop in 1995. Tenyears later, Federated Department Stores,Inc., owner of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s,acquired May and soon thereafter, convert-ed Hecht’s stores to Macy’s.

Meanwhile, the booming economy of thelate 1990s ended, leading to the recessionof the early 2000s, a period of stagnantgrowth in mid-decade in which the middleclass continued to fall behind, and thefinancial meltdown of 2008 and 2009.

Throughout these turbulent times,Lowthers led each round of bargaining,which ranged from the highly contentious2003-2004 supermarket negotiations, when3,300 Kroger members in West Virginia,Kentucky and Ohio went on strike for nineweeks to protect their health benefits, tothe less acrimonious though still challeng-ing 2007-2008 round.

“Protecting our members’ health andretirement benefits has been the greateststruggle in bargaining and the chal-

lenge they present only growsthrough each round of negotia-tions,” Lowthers said.

“On the health care side, that is afunction of our nation’s continuingfailure to reform a system whichworks for no one except the for-prof-it insurance and drug companies,”Lowthers said. “Fortunately, we arenow on the verge of passingPresident Obama’s health carereform plan and if the legislation isenacted as it should, a giant road-block will be removed from future negotia-tions.

“On the pension side, the economicdownturn of the last several years hasposed problems for all funds,” Lowthersexplained, “and we’ve had to persuade ouremployers to increase contributions inorder to maintain benefits.

“Despite the growing scope of thesechallenges, we have been able to meetthem because of the advent of coordinat-ing bargaining in the 2007-2008 round,”Lowthers said. “The entire UFCW wasunited, giving us the strength to matchthat of our employers. If one Local Unionanywhere hit a roadblock, all UFCW LocalUnions representing that employer’sworkers joined the fight. Local 400 helpedour brothers and sisters win good agree-ments and when it was our turn, theystood by us, too. This is the kind ofapproach we must expand in the future—not only within the UFCW in NorthAmerica but internationally, too.”

A Bright FutureWhile Lowthers is retiring from his

“day job,” he will keep on fighting forLocal 400 members in the future. He willcontinue his service as a commissioner

on the Maryland Health Services CostReview Commission, where he is

involved in efforts to lowerhealth care costs. He will alsoremain on the boards of theInternational Foundation ofEmployee Benefit Plans,

CareFirst of Maryland and the MarylandCitizens Health Initiative

“Health care is a special issue of con-cern for me, since I’ve seen up close andpersonal what a problem it is, both from mytime at the bargaining table and my serviceon the boards of our health and welfareplans,” Lowthers said. “I hope that myexperience and insight can be of some usein helping the labor community, employers,policy makers, health care providers andothers increase quality, access and afford-ability all at the same time.

“Despite the many challenges we con-tinue to face, I see an incredibly brightfuture for Local 400,” Lowthers said.“We’ve got very highly skilled officers andstaff, and, more importantly, an engaged,informed and active membership. That’sthe key to the success of any union andthat’s why we are well-positioned for any-thing and everything that comes next.

“Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt willsucceed me and our union will be in greathands,” Lowthers said. “I know thatunder Tom’s leadership, we will keepmoving forward, keep making progress,and keep reaching new heights for ourmembers.

“It has been a great ride for me person-ally,” Lowthers added. “Empoweringworkers to improve their lives is the causeof a lifetime and I’ve been very fortunateto make this cause my career. It has beena privilege to serve our members and Ihope I’ll be able to keep making contribu-tions toward this cause in the future.”

THELOWTHERSLEGACY

Jim Lowthers discussesthe Labor-ManagementPartnership in a meetingof Kaiser stewards in 2005.

During the 2003 Kroger strike,Jim Lowthers rallies Local 400members in Charleston, W.Va.

Continued from page 9

Per

manen

tePowered by the work of Local 400health professionals, Kaiser has been ahuge success story, pioneering an exem-plary Labor-Management Partnershipand creating new approaches to healthcare focused on continuous improve-ments in quality, greater coordination,increased efficiency, lower costs and bet-ter health outcomes. Local 400 hasplayed a central role in these achieve-ments, with members directly involved inthe planning and development of the newmedical centers at every level.

“‘Partnership’ is the perfect descriptionfor our relationship with Kaiser,” saidLocal 400 President Jim Lowthers. “Ourmembers are decision-makers. Their inputis sought and valued by management thatlistens to the wisdom and experience offront-line health care providers. Together,we are building a promising new modelfor the health care of the future.

“It is our hope that the upcominground of bargaining expands on what wehave achieved to date, further strength-ens a fulfilling work environment for ourhealth care professionals, and empowersthem even more to give their patients thebest care in the world,” Lowthers said.

State-of-the-Art CenterThe first medical center to open will be

located on Capitol Hill. It will have everyspecialty in medicine and surgery underone roof, including all the expertise onewould find in a hospital’s emergencyroom, pharmacy and laboratory services,and full-service imaging. It will enable

Kaiser to offer for the first time in the Mid-Atlantic Region an outpatient proceduresuite, a Blood Bank, nuclear medicine,nephrology services with dialysis, and aClinical Decision unit—an observationarea enabling many procedures to be donewithout hospitalization. In addition, forthe first time in Washington, D.C., Kaiserwill offer hematology, oncology, allergy,gastroenterology, cardiology and physicalmedicine services, as well as an InfusionCenter.

The new facility will include Kaiser’sCenter For Total Health—a place wherepeople can use high-tech computerizedsystems to learn how to keep themselvesin the best possible health. Located adja-cent to Union Station, it will enable mem-bers of Congress to visit and see latestmedical technologies in action.

Above all, the Capitol Hill Center isdesigned to be a showcase for the power ofan integrated delivery system to achievesuperior quality outcomes at lower costthan traditional fee-for-service medicine. Itis also designed to help make Kaiser a mar-ket leader in the Washington, D.C., area.

Upcoming BargainingWhile preparations are being made for

the new medical centers, they are alsounderway for bargaining, with the cur-rent contract slated to expire in October2010. First, there will be negotiationsbetween Kaiser and the coalition ofunions representing Kaiser employeesover a national agreement, and then bar-gaining will take place between Local 400

and Kaiser Mid-Atlantic for a local agree-ment.

Unlike traditional negotiations, theagreement will be hammered out using“interest-based bargaining” in which eachside expresses its views in terms of theircommon interest rather than a set ofdemands, creating a less confrontationaland more collegial atmosphere. Equallysignificant, a majority of union bargainersare front-line employees, all of whom havereceived training in this unique approach.As with the current agreement, it isexpected that much of the bargaining willbe focused on building a culture of contin-uous learning and improvement, increas-ing efficiency and raising the quality ofcare to new heights while also ensuringthat Kaiser health professionals receiveindustry-leading wages, benefits, trainingand working conditions.

“Kaiser is a unique employer,” saidLocal 400 Secretary-Treasurer TomMcNutt. “It is always trying to improveand always willing to break the mold inthe process. But what’s most important isthat it recognizes that its health profes-sionals—our members—are its greatestresource. Even as Kaiser adopts state-of-the-art technology, such as its KP Connectelectronic medical records system, it putsits human assets first.

“Naturally, we want to see the progressmade over the last five years under thecurrent contract continue into the future,”McNutt said. “Bargaining is never an easyprocess, but when all is said and done, Iexpect that is what we will achieve.

“It’s especially significant that at atime when the nation appears to be on theverge of achieving national health carereform, Local 400 members working at

With new, state-of-the-art, comprehensive medical centers slated to openin the Washington, D.C., area in the near future, Kaiser Permanente isredoubling its commitment to growth in the Mid-Atlantic region during apivotal period when a new round of bargaining is about to start.


KaiserKaiser Permanente Expands in Mid-AtlanticAsNew Roundof Bargaining Nears


ElliotFriedmanWomen’s ShoesBloomingdale’sChevy Chase,Md.


QuintinDuboseProduceSafeway #2737Washington, D.C.

EliseVenturaSupportBrooksBrothersWashington,D.C.

WilliamKrausAssistantProduce

ManagerKroger #509

Richmond, Va.

TeresaDi FrancoSeamstressSyms #18Rockville, Md.

AnitaWeakley

Meat ManagerGiant #786

Charlottesville,Va.



Local 400 MembersPrepare for Richmond/Tidewater

Kroger Bargaining

Major focuses of the negotiations arelikely to include expanding Kroger’s mar-ket share in these markets to counter thegrowth of non-union chains, includingAhold/Martin’s, Harris Teeter and Weg-mans, and to preserve the members’ healthand pension benefits. The current contractexpires on March 27, with extensions likelyif no agreement is reached by then.

“Unity means everything,” said Local400 President Jim Lowthers. “The morewe stand together, the more likely it is thatbargaining will result in a positive out-come for our members and for the compa-ny, as well.

“Protecting our jobs isn’t just aboutbargaining,” Lowthers said. “A strongmembership base gives Local 400 theresources to help defend Kroger’s marketshare—and our own job security—fromthe invasion of non-union retail predators

like Walmart and Ahold/Martin’s.“Every rank-and-file member can play

a role in growing our membership, build-ing our union and protecting our jobs byexpanding our market share,” Lowthersadded. “It’s the responsibility of all of usto encourage membership among our co-workers.”

Members prepared for bargainingthrough a series of meetings in Richmondand Norfolk with top union officers andstaff negotiators.

At these meetings, Local 400 Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt presented results ofa membership bargaining survey thatallowed members to voice their sugges-tions for improving wages, benefits, vaca-tions, holidays and working conditions.

Specific contract proposals are stillbeing formulated on major issues such aswages and health benefits, although nego-

tiators shared a few proposals alreadydrafted to improve working conditions,transfer rights, union security, health andsafety, and to create joint labor-manage-ment committees to address problems andideas of mutual concern.

“We want to expand the union share ofthe grocery markets in Richmond andTidewater, and we hope and expect thatKroger has the same goal,” McNutt said.“We’ve already seen how well thisapproach worked when Local 400 steppedin to offer Krogers’ locations for GirlScout troops whose cookie-selling loca-tions were taken away from them whenAhold/Martin’s bought out Ukrop’s. Weshould be taking more of these kinds ofpositive initiatives in the future.

“At the same time,” McNutt added,“members can rest assured that we will bedoing everything in our power to protecttheir health and retirement security, im-prove their standard of living, and ensurebetter working conditions.”

Amid a volatile grocery industry market in Virginia, nearly 2,500 Local 400members working at Kroger in the Richmond and Tidewater areas are pre-pared for bargaining a new contract and are engaged in an effort to mobi-lize themselves, grow membership and stay united throughout the process.

Local 400 Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt

answers questions frommembers at a recent

Richmond meeting.

Local 400 members working atKroger have launched a newcampaign, 400UNITED, to reachout to co-workers who have notyet joined the union and explainhow much they will benefit frommembership.

Because Virginia is a “right-to-work-for-less” state which allowsemployees of unionized companies tonot join their union yet still benefitfrom collective bargaining, it is impor-tant that all opportunities are taken toexpand membership at every store inthe commonwealth where Local 400represents workers. The same is true ofTennessee.

The need for more members isespecially urgent with the invasion ofnon-union retail predators such asWalmart and Ahold/Martin’s (whichrecently purchased the Ukrop’s chainin Richmond, Va.), because market share—the percentage of allworkers in an industry who belong to unions—is the singlemost powerful influence on the strength of each union contract.

“Our members at Kroger can count on wages you can raise afamily on, comprehensive health care coverage and pensionbenefits all because of the power of collective bargaining,” saidLocal 400 President Jim Lowthers. “The more members we havein each store, the stronger position we’re in when it’s time fornegotiations and the more our members will gain at the bar-gaining table.

“This is proven out by the fact that we’re able to win bettercontracts in Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and theDistrict of Columbia, where all workers represented by Local 400are members,” Lowthers observed.

“The reverse is also true,” Lowthers said. “If our membershipwas to stagnate or decline, there would be a race to the bottom,with the likes of Walmart and Ahold/Martin’s dictating wage andbenefit levels in Virginia.”

“Our members are impressing on all Kroger employees cov-ered by our contract that it more than pays to belong,” saidLocal 400 Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt. “What you get backin income and benefits, in better working conditions, in a voicein the workplace and in health and safety amounts to manytimes the cost of dues.

“Another reason why all Kroger employees in Virginia andTennessee should join is that only members can take advantage

of the wide array of financial benefits,discounts and services provided byUnion Plus,” McNutt added. “Fromcollege scholarships and educationloans to credit and budget counseling,from savings on credit cards to specialdeals on computers and cell phones,there are thousands of dollars worthof reasons why joining the union is thebest investment you can make.”

The 400UNITED campaign buildson the fact that all Local 400 contractsat Kroger now have a provision requir-ing management to introduce newworkers to a shop steward their firstweek on the job. Kroger stewards arerequiring management to abide by thecollective bargaining agreement, andtaking the time to inform their newlyhired co-workers about all the unionhas to offer and how their member-ship makes a powerful difference.

Patricia Whitehurst, a Kroger shopsteward in Virginia Beach, noted that,

“New employees often don’t even know that a store is union-ized. The new-hire provision in the contract guarantees thatnew employees learn about the union and their contract rightaway.

“We let them know that their wages and benefits come fromcollective bargaining,” Whitehurst said. “If they don’t sign up formembership right away, I know they'll come looking for mebefore long when they have a problem, and then they’ll usuallybecome a member.”

Whitehurst and her two fellow stewards have tripled mem-bership at their store in just three years through making it “ourmission” to sign up every new hire and also maintain close com-munications with all employees. “Our message is, a strongmembership means fewer problems in the stores and a betterunion contract,” she said.

With the Kroger Richmond and Tidewater contracts expiringon March 27, 2010, the 400UNITED campaign comes at anespecially critical time.

“There’s no such thing as a free ride,” Lowthers said. “Ifyou’re benefiting from union representation without contribut-ing your fair share, you’re undermining the source of your goodfortune. But if you join and do your part, you’re giving yourselfthe power to shape your destiny in ways that non-union workerswill never be able to have. With this message—the simple factsabout what union membership does—Local 400 will keep ongrowing.”

400UNITEDMOBILIZINGFOR NEWMEMBERSAT KROGERINVIRGINIA&TENNESSEE

“No Better Investmentin Your Future”


Ahold is fully unionized in its homecountry and throughout Europe. Giant is aunion shop, as is the Ahold-owned Stop &Shop chain in New England.

Now, here’s where it gets confusing—Ahold also owns Giant-Carlisle, a sub-sidiary that operates under the name of

Giant Food Stores in Pennsylvania, andunder the name of Martin’s Food Marketsin Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland andwestern Pennsylvania. All but two of thelocations (Lewistown and Burnham,Penna.) are non-union.

Ahold is a classic “double-breasted” cor-poration—one that has

both union and non-union arms. It is try-ing to have its cakeand eat it, too—cre-ate the veneer ofbeing a responsible,unionized corpora-tion while squeezingout extra profits byexploiting the work-ers at its non-unionarm.

Over the long run,this is a menace toLocal 400 members,

b e c a u s e

the temptation is always to shrink theunion side of the business while expandingthe non-union side. Moreover, Ahold/Martin’s is in direct competition with thefully unionized Kroger chain, where Local400 represents employees throughoutVirginia and West Virginia.

“Though it is unionized in theNetherlands and elsewhere in Europe, ithas become apparent that Ahold sees theUnited States as a place where it can takeadvantage of weak U.S. labor laws to makemore money by paying American workersless,” said Local 400 President JimLowthers.

“When Ahold acquired Giant, the powerof Local 400 made sure the workers’ unionrepresentation stayed intact and we havebeen able to successfully negotiate a seriesof good contracts with management,”Lowthers said. “But Ahold’s periodicattempts to skirt the boundaries of our col-lective bargaining agreements, combinedwith aggressive moves by Martin’s, makeclear the company’s long-term goal.”

This menace recently grew larger whenAhold/Martin’s purchased the locally-owned, Richmond-based Ukrop’s chain. Assoon as the transfer of ownership tookplace, management began implementing aseries of anti-worker policies in an effort

avoid collective bargaining.

Royal Ahold NV is a Netherlands-based multinational corporation. Local400 members working at Giant in Virginia, Maryland and Washington,D.C., know it well because Ahold bought the supermarket chain in 1998,and control shifted from local owners in Landover, Md., to Dutch execu-tives in Amsterdam.

TheGrowingMenaceWorkers, Communities Get the Royal Ahold Treatment

Moreover, Ahold is not the only threatto Local 400 members.

“Ahold’s moves are only the tip of theiceberg,” Lowthers explained. “Wegman’sand Harris Teeter are moving aggressivelyinto Virginia, joining Walmart and FoodLion in trying to expand the non-union seg-ment of the grocery industry. Our membersworking for Giant in Northern Virginia andKroger elsewhere in the state must stayunited to defeat this menace and increaseour market share, which in turn will giveus greater bargaining power.”

Ukrop’s No MoreUkrop’s had long enjoyed a reputation

in and around Richmond as a community-oriented store that treated its workersand customers well, while providing sig-nificant support to local charities. It wasknown for its own version of the GoldenRule: “treating customers, associates, andsuppliers as they personally want to betreated.”

But when Ahold/Martin’s acquiredUkrop’s 25 stores, it did not take long tosee just how different the directives fromthe Netherlands would be. Within weeks,“no solicitation” signs were posted infront of all Ukrop’s stores and in the park-ing lot. “Picketing, wearing or carryingplacards, handbilling, solicitation, demon-strating and loitering by non-employeesare prohibited on the sidewalks, loadingzones, parking lot, driveways and islandsof this shopping center,” read the signs.

The very first victims of this policy werelocal Girl Scout troops who had sold theircookies in front of Ukrop’s for many years(see the sidebar). This caused a publicrelations disaster for Ahold/Martin’s. Sowhy did they do it?

The answer was obvious. When Ukrop’swas put on the market, a number ofUkrop’s employees realized they had no oneto protect them in the event of a sale—andthat their treatment by any new employerwould surely get worse. So they contactedLocal 400 and sought to organize.

Ahold was so fearful that its new

employees would empower themselvesthrough Local 400 representation that itwas willing to incur the wrath of GirlScouts and their supporters in the com-munity, just so long as union handbillerscould be legally kept off the property.

“Ukrop’s employees, Richmond shop-pers, Girl Scouts and community residents

are all getting the Royal Ahold treatment,”said Local 400 Secretary-Treasurer TomMcNutt. “They are learning that Aholdtreats its workers and the communitieswhere it operates as sources of profits to beexploited, not as good neighbors and fellowcitizens. Ahold is sucking their money out


For many years, thelocally-owned Ukrop’schain in Richmond wel-comed Girl Scouts to sellcookies in front of theirstores.

But as soon as Ahold/Martin’s took control ofUkrop’s, the Girl Scoutslearned that they wereno longer wanted. GirlScout troops had pur-chased many boxes ofcookies expecting to sell them at theirlocal Ukrop’s and were suddenly left inthe lurch.

However, Local 400 membersemployed at Kroger in Richmond andthroughout Virginia came to the rescue.They invited Girl Scouts to sell cookiesin front of Kroger’s Virginia stores andpledged to purchase the first 100 boxesof cookies from a displaced troop.

Local 400 members fulfilled thispledge on March 11, buying the first100 boxes of cookies from Girl Scouttroop #57 in front of Kroger #515 inMechanicsville.

“Girl Scouts do so much good in ourcommunities,” said Local 400 PresidentJim Lowthers. “Our members work tomake their communities better placesto live and many have daughters whoare in the Girl Scouts, themselves. Itwas only natural that our membersjumped at the chance to welcome dis-

placed troops to sell cookies in front ofKroger stores, and to buy the first 100boxes sold.”

“We’re proud to support the excel-lent work of the Girl Scouts and allthey do to build girls of courage, confi-dence, and character,” said Local 400Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt. “Iknow that the former owners ofUkrop’s felt the same way, and it’s areal shame that the new owners of thechain decided to give the Girl Scoutsthe Royal Ahold treatment. I just hopethat, in the wake of this controversy,Richmond-area Girl Scouts sell morecookies and raise more funds than everto support their efforts.

“This really highlights the differencebetween a community-oriented, family-owned business and a multinationalcorporation where foreign executivescall the shots with no knowledge oflocal traditions,” McNutt said.

LOCAL 400 MEMBERS RESCUE GIRLSCOUTS FROM AHOLD/MARTIN’S

Purchase First 100 Boxes of Cookies


Girl Scouts Autumn Just, Suzanne Donaldson, and NicoleSoiland proudly display the check they have just receivedfrom Local 400 for the purchase of the first 100 boxes ofcookies sold outside Kroger #515 in Mechanicsville, Va.

Local 400 Secretary-Treasurer TomMcNutt presented her with the award,saying, “We need more members ofCongress with the courage and commit-ment of Donna Edwards. She’s a leaderin battling for good jobs, for health carereform, for financial reform, for strongcivil rights protections, and for the well-being of all working families. The UFCWis proud to count her as a strong ally andLocal 400 is proud to call her our friend.”

The UFCW Minority Coalition citedRep. Edwards’ support for the Jobs forMain Street Act which will save and cre-ate new jobs, for extending unemploy-ment benefits, and for comprehensivehealth care reform. She is playing a keyrole in cracking down on financial abus-es, inserting three provisions in the WallStreet Reform and Consumer ProtectionAct that would give state regulators thetools they need to limit risky financialtransactions, prevent predatory lending,and protect consumers, homeowners andinvestors. She is also a longtime cospon-sor of the Employee Free Choice Act anda strong advocate for beefing up work-place health and safety protections.

In addition to Edwards, the UFCWMinority Coalition honored other labor,civil rights and religious leaders. Theyinclude:! Wendell W. Young, III, past president

of UFCW Local 1776, who received thePerson of the Year award.

! Max Bruny of UFCW Local 888, whowas presented with the Local Union ofthe Year award.

! Glen Williams of the LaborersInternational Union, who was honoredas Labor Leader of the Year.

! Mackenzie Baris of D.C. Jobs withJustice, who received the CommunityPartnership Award,

! Samuel Staten, Sr., of LaborersLocal 332, who was presented withthe Roland B. Scott Award.

! Janice Mathis of Rainbow Push,who received the Addie Wyatt Award,

! Rev. Nelson Johnson of FaithCommunity Church, who was namedReligious Leader of the Year.

! Rev. J. Rayfield Vines, Jr., of theHungary Road Baptist Church, who

received the Civic Organization of theYear honor.As it does every year, proceeds from

the Minority Coalition Ball benefitedFaces of Our Children, Inc., a charity ded-icated to raising awareness, support andfunding for the fight against sickle celldisease worldwide in cooperation withthe Howard University Center for SickleCell Disease. Faces of Our Children pro-vides education on the risks of sickle celldisease and the need to get tested for thesickle cell trait, and it informs medicalproviders, schools and caregivers on howto reduce pain for affected children. Italso engages in public advocacy toincrease funding for research and bettertreatment to improve the lives of familieswith sickle cell disease.

Local 400 is a longtime supporter ofFaces of Our Children, which was found-ed by Don Cash, Sr., the former executiveassistant to the president of Local 400and current president of the UFCWMinority Coalition.

Praising her as a fighter for economic and social justice, the UFCWMinority Coalition recently honored Congresswoman Donna Edwards ofMaryland’s Fourth District as legislator of the year at its annual gala ball,which raised funds for sickle cell research, treatment and prevention.


Donna Edwards HonoredAt Minority Coalition Ball

Benefits Faces of Our Children

Local 400 Secretary-TreasurerTom McNutt (center) presents theLegislator of the Year Award toU.S. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.),accompanied by former Local 400official and current UFCW MinorityCoalition President Don Cash, Sr.

From the time Local 400 was certifiedas the employees’ collective bargainingrepresentative in October 1998, manage-ment has waged a relentless effort todelay and deny workers their democrati-cally-chosen rights. This has includedrefusals to bargain in good faith, unlaw-fully withdrawing recognition from theunion, and various unfair labor practicesas affirmed by the National LaborRelations Board (NLRB) and the courts.

“The experience of our members atChesapeake Shores provides yet anotherexample of why we need the EmployeeFree Choice Act,” said Local 400President Jim Lowthers. “It is inexcusableand unacceptable that they have had toendure more than a decade of rampantlawbreaking by management to winwhat should have been granted them in1998. By imposing binding arbitration onfirst contracts and toughening penaltieson unfair labor practice violations, theEmployee Free Choice Act would preventother workers from enduring what ourmembers have been through.

“Chesapeake Shores managementapparently thought they could break theworkers’ will and spirit, but they learnedthat Local 400 members respond to adver-sity by strengthening our Solidarity andstanding strong for our rights,” Lowtherssaid. “Now that all their efforts to decertify

the union have gone for naught, it’s longpast time for them to bargain in good faithand come to swift agreement on a multi-year contract.”

After winning unionrepresentation, the em-ployees endured threeyears of managementintransigence. Local 400filed unfair labor practicecharges that the companywas bargaining in badfaith. In August 2001, theNLRB ruled for the work-ers, finding that Chesa-peake Shores was delaying proposals,withdrawing from tentative agreementsand making regressive offers. Four monthslater, under NLRB order, the companyagreed to a one-year contract.

Chesapeake Shores soon made clear ithad not changed its colors. In September2002, management sponsored an “anti-union” petition and one month later,claimed it had secured enough signaturesto withdraw recognition from the union.In response, Local 400 filed a new set ofunfair labor practice charges against thecompany. Despite having the full weightof evidence on their side, it took two longyears for an NLRB administrative lawjudge to find in favor of the workers.Chesapeake Shores appealed the decision

and it took until November 2006 for thefull NLRB to affirm that the company’swithdrawal of recognition violated the law.

Chesapeake Shores then appealed tothe U.S. Court of Appeals. It took untilMarch 2008 for the court to uphold theNLRB ruling. Yet it would still take 11months of bargaining before managementagreed to a new contract—again, for just

one year—which was rati-fied in February 2009.

As the short length ofthe agreement suggested,management was stilldetermined to break theunion and soon launchedanother effort to decertifyLocal 400. Last December,this attempt was rebuffedas the employees over-whelmingly voted to keep

their Local 400 representation.“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said

Local 400 Secretary-Treasurer TomMcNutt. “It’s an outrage to think of thenumber of our hardworking memberswho won union representation in 1998and never worked there long enough toenjoy its full benefits.

“Chesapeake Shores needs to put theinterests of its patients ahead of the com-pany’s greed for profits,” McNutt said.“That will happen when managementagrees to a multi-year contract thatempowers its employees to provide first-class care by paying a living wage, provid-ing a safe workplace, and improvingworking conditions. The time for that isnow.”

Local 400 members working at the Chesapeake Shores Care Center(formerly known as Bayside) in Lexington Park, Md., dealt management adevastating defeat when they voted recently by a two-to-one margin tocontinue union representation, culminating an 11-year battle to gain andkeep their right to collective bargaining.

Chesapeake Shores WorkersVote Two-to-One

ToKeepLocal400RepresentationDefeat 11-Year-Long Management Union-Busting Schemes

“This is yetanother exampleof why we needthe Employee

Free Choice Act.”— Local 400 President

Jim Lowthers



Gary BurkhammerReceiverShoppers #2335, Olney, Md.

Years in Union: 10

Years as Steward: 4

Family: Married with two childrenand two grandchildren

Enjoys Most about Job:Keeping busy and all the funpeople I work with

Enjoys Most about Being aSteward: Doing what I canto help associates

Favorite Place on Earth:The beach

“ The union providesbetter working conditions

and benefits.”

Dawn McKennaUrology/Pulmonary Lead RNKaiser #35, Fairfax, Va.

Years in Union: 21

Years as Steward: 2

Family: Married with two daughtersand a stepdaughter

Enjoys Most about Job: Getting amember’s problem solved

Hobbies: Travel (beaches), tennis,reading

Future Plans: Get my girls throughcollege; retire in Longboat Key,Florida

“ The union makes sure wehave a voice and that everyoneis treated fairly.”

Robert QuarlesCustomer ServiceGiant #233, Falls Church, Va.

Years in Union: 2

Years as Steward: 2

Family: Three children

Enjoys Most about Being aSteward: Bring able to assist others

Hobbies: Golf, fishing and bowling

Future Plans: To continue helpingothers whenever I can

“ The union means you havesomeone in your corner when

you need it the most.”

Spotlight


Karen WentzWeigher/WrapperSafeway #1606, Burke, Va.

Years in Union: 13

Years as Steward: 11

Family: Five children, three grand-children

Enjoys Most about Being aSteward: Helping people

Hobbies: Spending time with mygrandchildren

Favorite Place on Earth: Home

“ The union gives usjob security.”

Ronald EakinFile Maintenance ClerkKroger #210, Blacksburg, Va.

Years in Union: 17

Years as Steward: 2

Family: One son

Enjoys Most about Being aSteward: Helping others withissues when they don’t know whereto turn

Hobbies: Coaching, playing golf,softball, umpiring and officiating

Favorite Place on Earth: LaneStadium on Thursday nights in theFall

“ The union offers strength innumbers; without that, you’reat the mercy of the company.”

Vivian VernettePetersonHead CashierShoppers #2371, Wheaton, Md.

Years in Union: 9

Years as Steward: 1 1/2

Enjoys Most about Job: Helpingcustomers

Enjoys Most about Being aSteward: Helping employees withtheir rights

Hobbies: Reading

Future Plans: Retire and enjoy mygrandchildren

“ The union meansI have someone fightingfor my rights.”

In a move that has outraged neigh-bors, Civil War buffs, conservationistsand many others, Walmart is trying tobuild a massive 238,000 square-footdevelopment in Orange County, Virginia,just a quarter of a mile from the locationof the historic Battle of the Wilderness.Part of the Fredericksburg andSpotsylvania National Military Park, thesite is where Ulysses S. Grant and RobertE. Lee met on the battlefield for the firsttime in a bloody clash which left 26,000soldiers injured or killed in 1864.

In August, the Orange County Board ofSupervisors gave formal approval for theWalmart development, but a coalition oflandowners, the National Trust forHistoric Preservation, the Civil WarPreservation Trust, the National ParksConservation Association and other

groups is trying to block construction.“Walmart’s like an elephant in a China

shop,” said Local 400 President JimLowthers. “Just like the company tram-ples on workers’ rights, it smashes intoneighbors, parks and small businesseseverywhere it goes, leaving a mess in itswake. The last thing that belongs near anational park and a major historic site isa giant Walmart big box. That is hardly away to honor the tens of thousands ofcourageous soldiers who lost their livesin that pivotal battle.”

This is not the first time Walmart hasgenerated controversy with plans to buildstores near national monuments. In themid-1990s, the company tried but failedto open an outlet at George Washington’sboyhood home near Fredericksburg.

The U.S. National Park Service has

joined the fight to stop Walmart. Its direc-tor, Jonathan Jarvis, warned that if theproposed Walmart is built, “Hills wouldbe leveled and roads widened so that thePiedmont landscape would be unrecog-nizable.”

“Slash and burn is no strategy forrunning a giant retail operation,” saidLocal 400 Secretary-Treasurer TomMcNutt. “Walmart has no respect for thecommunities it tries to bully its way into;it looks at a map and all it sees are con-sumers for cheap, foreign-made products.The idea of sacrificing U.S. history andan irreplaceable national landmark for astore selling cheap imports is appalling.This Walmart must be stopped.”

The challenge to the planned develop-ment is pending before Orange CountyCircuit Court.


Planned Walmart DevelopmentThreatens Historic Civil War Battlefield

Though Walmart claims its stores arebenefiting from the recession becauseof their reputation for low prices andthe company is still making profits ofmore than $12 billion a year, its sub-sidiary, Sam’s Club, nevertheless laid offmore than 10,000 employees inJanuary.

The laid-off workers’ jobs, whichmostly involved handing out free prod-uct samples in the stores, are being out-sourced to an Arkansas-based company,Shopper Events. Based in a town next toWalmart’s Bentonville, Ark., headquar-ters, this privately-owned company’sonly clients are Walmart and Sam’sClub, raising suspicions that it may beanother arm of the world’s largestretailer.

“How much is enough for Wal-

mart?” asked Local 400 President JimLowthers. “How is it that $12 billion inannual profits is somehow too little forthe Walton family? Why do they feelcompelled to keep squeezing theirworkers through layoffs, and continuedlow pay and inadequate benefits?When it comes to our struggling econ-omy, Walmart is quite obviously a hugepart of the problem and not part of anysolution.”

The Sam’s Club layoffs—many ofwhich involved part-time workers—raised serious questions about whetherthey were designed to remove from thepayroll older and more senior employ-ees, because Walmart said it would onlypay severance to those workers whoagreed not to pursue age discriminationclaims. In addition, the company made

no apparent arrangements to have thelaid-off workers hired by ShopperEvents.

The layoffs were done in classicWalmart style, according to many ofthe workers, who report that theywere called into mass meetings andoffered boxes of tissues as they weretold their services would no longer beneeded.

“This appears to have been a sys-tematic attempt by Walmart to rid itspayroll of many employees who wereearning higher wages than theiryounger counterparts,” Lowthers said.“If so, that would be unethical andprobably unlawful. It’s time for allAmericans to just say no to Walmart’scontinued lowering of worker and com-munity standards.”

SAM’S CLUB CONTRIBUTES TO UNEMPLOYMENT CRISIS

For the 10th year in row, Local 400 members in theNorthern Neck of Virginia and the NorthumberlandCounty NAACP commemorated Black History Monthwith a celebration involving talks by a hero of the civilrights movement and the presentation of awards toarea residents for exemplary community service.

This year’s celebration took place on February 28 at ShilohBaptist Church in Burgess, Va., and featured Rev. Dr. MiltonReid, a close confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who spenttime in jail with him and founded the Virginia Chapter of theSouthern Christian Leadership Conference at the request of Dr.King.

“Our members in the Northern Neck have established a greattradition in honoring the proud history of African Americans inour country and carrying on the legacy of struggle for civilrights and workers’ rights,” said Local 400 President JimLowthers. “Their efforts are a prime example of how our unionis dedicated to community and part of the broader struggle forsocial justice and equal opportunity.”

At the celebration, Dr. Reid told a story about how he waswalking to school one day in Norfolk in 1937 and a school buscarrying white children came along. Some of the students in thebus spit on him as they drove by. On that day, as a mere seven-year-old, he decided to do everything he could to see that black

schoolchildren could ride to their school on the bus, too. Eightyears later, when he was 15, they got their school bus—and hewas the driver!

Dr. Reid also talked about how when he was first licensed asa preacher in Virginia, he had to sign a bond that he would notmarry interracial couples, in noting just how far our society hascome in his lifetime.

Four area residents were honored for their service:! Leah Hudnall, a Reedville, Va., woman who each year just

before school starts holds a huge picnic to raise money forschool supplies for local students.

! Henry Page, 80, who has run the first black-owned garage inthe Northern Neck for more than 60 years and still repairscars today.

! Dorothy Scott, a senior citizen and cancer survivor who willgraduate from college this May with an associate of artsdegree.

! Cecil Taylor, recipient of the Keeper of the Flame Award, whotravels around the country delivering Dr. King’s “I Have aDream” speech to church congregations, schoolchildren, andother audiences.“Local 400 is proud to support Black History Month,” said

Local 400 Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt, “not only because ofwhat it means to our members but because of the invaluable les-sons it holds for the battles we still face today.”


Black History MonthCelebrated ByLocal 400Membersin Northern Neck

Rev. Dr. Milton Reid,a confidant of Dr.Martin Luther King,Jr., addresses theBlack History Monthcelebration.

To help ULLICO workers throughthese tough economic times, companyleadership presented each employeewith a $75 gift card to Giant food stores.This was a not only a means of helpingULLICO families eat well and make endsmeet during the holidays—it was also away to support Local 400 membersworking at Giant.

“We have always said to shop unionduring the holidays,” said Local 400President Jim Lowthers, “because unionshops provide better value and serviceand because when we spend our hard-

earned dollars, we should support ourbrothers and sisters whenever possible. Iam very pleased that ULLICO not onlyadheres to the same philosophy but alsoputs it into action.”

“ULLICO’s ‘Shop Union’ policy does somuch good for so many,” said Local 400Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt. “Weare so appreciative of ULLICO’s supportof our union and more importantly, thecompany’s ongoing commitment to help-ing union members and their familiesachieve financial security.”

However, the benefits of the gift

cards went far beyond that. Members ofULLICO’s senior management teamsdonated their gift cards to So OthersMight Eat (SOME), an interfaith, com-munity-based charity helping homelessand extremely poor citizens inWashington, D.C. In a letter acknowl-edging ULLICO’s donation of $2,000 andthree large boxes of canned food, FatherJohn Adams, president of SOME,thanked the company’s employees fortheir generosity and helping to “breakthe cycle of homelessness in our nation’scapital.”

“This was a model effort,” McNuttsaid, “one I hope ULLICO and otherorganizations serving the labor move-ment follow in years to come.”

This past holiday season, ULLICO—the labor-owned family of compa-nies that offers quality insurance and investment products and servicesto the American labor movement—gave a gift that has kept on giving.


ULLICO Gift CardsSupport Local 400

From left to right: GiantStore Manager Ernest Vincent,Shop Steward Evelyn Graham,ULLICO President Ed Smith,Shop Steward April Williams,and Local 400 Secretary-Treasurer Thomas P. McNuttpresent the check to Giant forULLICO’s gift cards.


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First Choice Lending

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of Richmond and across the Atlantic andin return, all Virginians are getting isthe back of their hands.”

In addition to helping employees ofthe former Ukrop’s organize and reach-ing out to the community in Richmondand elsewhere, Local 400 has launched a

new campaign, 400UNITED (see page 15for more information), designed to helpmembers mobilize, increase membershipand expand the unionized portion ofVirginia’s retail food sector.

“Attempts by Ahold/Martin’s and theother non-union grocers to grow inVirginia are a clear threat to our mem-bers, but they’re also an opportunity,”McNutt said. “Missteps like the Girl

Scout cookie catastrophe enable us toshow shoppers how patronizing Krogerand our other stores is the best way toget first-class customer service and sup-port the community at the same time.

“We can and must expand our marketshare.” McNutt added, “The more that wedo, the better contracts we’ll be able tonegotiate—and the more Ahold will haveto rethink its double-breasted strategy.”

TheGrowingMenaceContinued from page 17



! Helping to keep police in their jobsand on the streets with funding cover-ing three years of salary and benefitsfor more than 4,600 law enforcementofficers in over 1,000 communitiesthrough the COPS program.As much as the stimulus has achieved,

more must be done with unemployment stillhovering around the 10 percent mark. Thatis why the U.S. House passed legislationinvesting another $154 billion in creating

jobs last fall. In late February, the Senatepassed a smaller-scale jobs bill. At the timethis article was written, the House andSenate still had to iron out the differencesbetween their two bills before passing finallegislation and sending it to PresidentObama for his signature.

“Local 400 members should call theirrepresentatives and senators at (202) 224-3121 and urge them to pass the strongestpossible jobs bill immediately,” Local 400Secretary-Treasurer Tom McNutt said.“We’re not out of the woods yet and so longas the private sector is lagging in creatinggood jobs, we need our government to helpmake up the difference.”

EconomicStimulus

Kaiser are forging an innovative model ofcare based on doing what’s best for theirpatients while lowering skyrocketing med-

ical costs,” McNutt said. “The new con-tract, the new medical centers and what Ihope will be health care reform have thepotential to converge and put our membersfront and center in solving the nation’shealth care crisis.”

Kaiser



Visit UnionPlus.org/ATT

SavingsandSolidarity

3 Easy Ways to Save! 1. TAKE this ad to your local AT&T store. To

find the store nearest you, visit att.com/find-a-store and show union identification (Reference FAN# 00113662).

2. ONLINE at UnionPlus.org/ATT Purchaseservices and find specials on phones.

3. CALL 1-800-897-7046. Use Discount FAN#00113662 when you speak to the customerservice operator.

*Credit approval and new two-year service agreement required. The non 3G iPhone, unlimited and unity plans, in addition to additionallined for family plans are not eligible for the discount. Current AT&Tcustomers can switch to the Union Plus AT&T Wireless discount pro-gram by having the FAN applied to their current account and signingup for a two year agreement. Other conditions and restrictions apply.

Special discounts on wirelessdevices and save 10% onmonthly service chargesthrough unionized AT&T.*

UFCW


JanuaryFiscal Report

1 BALANCE IN CASH ACCOUNTAT BEGINNING OF MONTH 1,247,244

2 RECEIPTS (from all sources):DUES 1,399,540MISCELLANEOUS 2,921

3 TOTAL RECEIPTS 1,402,461

4 TOTAL OF LINES 1 AND 3 2,649,705

5 DISBURSEMENTSfor current months 1,315,574

6 CASH ACCOUNT BALANCEat the end of current month 1,334,131

7 BALANCE AT END OF MONTHas shown on Bank Statement 1,397,895

8 DEPOSIT IN TRANSIT 0

9 TOTAL OF LINES 7 AND 8 1,397,895

10 LESS: Checks includedin item 5 not returnedwith bank statement 63,764

11 BALANCE(Should agree with Line 6) 1,334,131

12 PETTY CASH FUND 750

13 TOTAL OF ALL LOCAL UNION’SSAVINGS ACCOUNTSat the end of month 2,118,478

14 DEPRECIATED VALUE OFReal Estate, Furniture,Equipment, Automobiles, etc. 732,977

15 OTHER ACCOUNTSOR INVESTMENTS(Bond, Stocks, Credit Union,Building Funds, etc.) 135,367

16 LESS: LIABILITIES(other than Rent,Utilities, Withholdingand Per Capita Tax) 1,157,397

17 TOTAL WORTH OF LOCAL UNION(Totals of lines 11, 12, 13,14, and 15 minus line 16 3,164,306

CondolencesLinda Dawson, Shoppers Food 2355, Loss of

FatherAshley Dawson, Shoppers Food 2344, Loss of

GrandfatherFamily of Edimae R Whyte, Giant 366

Family of Walter H Spivey, Safeway 1425Family of James (Jimmy) Beall, A&P CompanyJoey Withers, Safeway 1428, Loss of FatherFamily of Yvonne Eppolito, Giant 770Lavoris "Mikki" Harris, Local 400 staff,

Loss of son

A L L I N T H E F A M I L Y

Monday, May 3BRISTOL

Holiday InnExit 7 off

of Interstate 813005 Linden Dr.

Bristol, VA 24202

Tuesday, May 4BLUEFIELD

Quality Hotel &Conference CenterRoute 460 Bypass

3350 Big Laurel HwyBluefield, WV 24701

Thursday, May 6DANVILLE

Holiday Inn Express2121 Riverside Dr

Danville, VA 24540

Tuesday, May 11HUNTINGTONHampton Inn

3442 US Route 60 EastBarboursville, WV

(304) 733-5004

Tuesday, Sept. 7CHARLOTTESVILLE

Holiday Inn1901 Emmett Street

Charlottesville,VA 22901

(434) 977-7700

Monday, Sept. 13BECKLEY

Holiday Inn114 Dry Hill Road

Beckley, WV 25801(304) 252-2250

Tuesday, Sept 14HUNTINGTONHampton Inn

3442 US Route 60 EastBarboursville, WV

(304) 733-5004

Wednesday, Sept. 15DANVILLE

Holiday Inn Express2121 Riverside Dr

Danville, VA 24540(434) 793-4000

Monday, October 4PARKERSBURGComfort Suites

167 Elizabeth PikeMineral Wells, WV

26150(304) 489-9600

Tuesday, October 5BLUEFIELD

Quality Hotel &Conference CenterRoute 460 Bypass

3350 Big Laurel HwyBluefield, WV

24701(304) 325-6170

Wednesday,October 6BRISTOL

Holiday InnExit 7 off ofInterstate 81

3005 Linden Dr.Bristol, VA 24202(276) 466-4100

2010 A R E A M E E T I N G S S C H E D U L E *

Wednesday, May 5ROANOKEHoliday Inn

450 Litchell RoadSalem, VA 24153

(540) 389-2424

Monday, May 10CHARLESTON

Holiday Inn–Civic Center100 Civic Center

Charleston, WV 25301(304) 345-0600

Tuesday, June 15LANDOVER

Local 400 Headquarters4301 Garden City Drive

Landover, MD 20785(301) 459-3400

Monday, August 2CHARLESTON


Charleston, WV 25301(304) 345-0600

Wednesday, Sept. 8RICHMOND

Holiday Inn–Central3207 North BoulevardRichmond, VA 23230

(804) 359-9441

Thursday, Sept. 9NORFOLK

Norfolk Office3620 Tidewater Drive

Norfolk, VA 23509

Monday, Sept. 13ROANOKEHoliday Inn


(540) 389-2424

Tuesday, Sept. 21LANDOVER

Local 400 Headquarters4301 Garden City Drive

Landover, MD 20785(301) 459-3400

Tuesday, Nov. 2NORFOLK

Norfolk Office3620 Tidewater Drive

Norfolk, VA 23509

Wednesday, Nov. 3RICHMOND

Holiday Inn-Central3207 North BoulevardRichmond, VA 23230

(804) 359-9441

Monday, Nov. 8CHARLESTON


Charleston, WV 25301(304) 345-0600

Wednesday, Dec. 1ROANOKEHoliday Inn


(540) 389-2424

2010 Q UA RT E R LY M E E T I N G S S C H E D U L E *

* All meetings are at 7 p.m.

* All meetings are at 7 p.m.


Have You Moved? Then Let Us Know!Please fill in the information below.

NAME _______________________________________________________________

NEW ADDRESS _________________________________________________________

CITY_________________________________________________________________

STATE ____________________________________________ ZIP ______________

PHONE NO. ___________________________ COMPANY & STORE NO.____________

Mail this information to: UFCW Local 400, 4301 Garden City Drive,Landover, MD 20785.

¿Se ha mudado? ¡Entonces déjenos saber!Por favor llene la información a continuación.

NOMBRE_____________________________________________________________

NUEVA DIRECCIÓN _____________________________________________________

CIUDAD _____________________________________________________________

ESTADO ___________________________________________ZIP________________

TELÉPHONO NO._______________________ COMPAÑIA Y TIENDA NO._____________

Envíe esta información a: UFCW Local 400, 4301 Garden City Drive,Landover, MD 20785.

L O C A L 4 0 0 R E T I R E E SGiantNoor Ahmad, Manassas, Va., 11 yearsJean A Alexander, Falls Church, Va., 32 yearsJoseph M Casamento, Lorton, Va., 31 yearsCarroll E Forbes, Capitol Heights, Md.,

30 yearsNorma J Granville, Myrtle Beach, S.C.,

31 yearsCharles L Jakola, Edinburg, Va., 30 yearsCurtis W McFarland, Sterling, Va., 30 yearsGlenn L Muck Jr, Gaithersburg, Md., 44

yearsGeorge E Nichols, Alexandria, Va., 33 yearsVera T Perkins, Stockbridge, Ga., 9 yearsNorma Santiago, Woodbridge, Va., 28 yearsFlorence M Speiss, Alexandria, Va., 22

yearsIgnacia D Talbert, Stafford, Va., 25 yearsLillian V Taylor, Washington, D.C., 22 yearsMartin C Taylor Sr., Herndon, Va., 40 yearsKhang D. Bui, Falls Church, Va., 12 yearsGeorge T Finnell III, Front Royal, Va., 22

yearsRichard L Jones, Falls Church, Va., 39 yearsMaria Laourakis, Vienna, Va., 24 yearsTang T Le, Falls Church, Va., 16 yearsCharles W Wertz, Port Republic, Md., 9 yearsBetty J Allen, Bowie, Md., 21 yearsDennis J Carter, Rockville, Md., 41 yearsHelen W Christian, Gaithersburg, Md., 17

yearsKenneth A Day, Severn, Md., 31 yearsKaren F Dean, New Market, Md., 33 yearsThomas R Gunner, Gaithersburg, Md.,

21 years

Jerry W Hall, Springfield, Va., 41 yearsThai D Hong, Burke, Va., 9 yearsMary A Lightkep, Leesburg, Va., 31 yearsWindell L Mullins, Culpeper, Va., 32 yearsRosie M Roe, Temple Hills, Md., 45 yearsRichard A Tandski, Harpers Ferry, W. Va.,

27 yearsSybil Willis, Bowie, Md., 39 years

KrogerPatsy C Goffins, Rustburg, Va., 24 yearsDana A Lester, Christiansburg, Va., 38 yearsMelvin H Martin, Lynchburg, Va., 28 yearsGerald D Minter, Ridgeway, Va., 38 yearsWanda R Thomas, Radford, Va., 35 yearsNancy R Williby, Princeton, W. Va., 33 yearsOwen D Craig, Roanoke, Va., 43 yearsClyde F Nichols, Wytheville, Va., 37 yearsJoyce A Oaks, Kingsport, Tenn., 32 yearsKenneth L Sawyers Jr, Bluefield, Va., 38

yearsRobert W Scruggs, Roanoke, Va., 36 yearsHarrison P Younce, Bristol, Tenn., 31 years

SafewayLinda A Conley, Rockville, Md., 34 yearsRonald Harrison, Oxon Hill, Md., 44 yearsAgnes G Mitchell, Centreville, Va., 8 yearsJonathan E Sanders, Lanham, Md., 40 yearsPatsy A Stauffer, Valley Lee, Md., 34 yearsPaula P Sutphin, Centreville, Va., 30 yearsFrank H Bell, Arlington, Va., 9 yearsNancy M Gimmi, Dale City, Va., 10 yearsHector J Gomez, Silver Spring, Md., 24

years

Pamela S Haines, Purcellville, Va., 37 yearsRobert C Toney, Oxon Hill, Md., 41 yearsMeladean C Coon, Laurel, Md., 22 yearsCheryl A Dearie, Waldorf, Md., 32 yearsMichael G Ford, College Park, Md.,

44 yearsBrian L Gammon, Glen Burnie, Md., 31

yearsSteven P Kemp, Fredericksburg, Va., 37

yearsDaniel M Scott, Laurel, Md., 40 yearsLaura J Slater, Bryantown, Md., 35 yearsBarbara Wright, Stephens City, Va., 28 years

ShoppersDeborah K Fulcher, Dumfries, Va., 22 yearsAudrey L Oliver, Washington, D.C., 24 yearsPatsy J Rigney, Arlington, Va., 37 yearsMarion L Dohawk, District Heights, Md.,

19 yearsPatricia A Wilson, Fort Washington, Md.,

23 yearsWesley A Clem III, Hyattsville, Md.,

39 yearsLawrence C Evans, Eldersburg, Md.,

15 yearsVictor Bustos, Silver Spring, Md., 7 yearsPatsy A Dye, Alexandria, Va., 18 yearsCheryl L Hein, Leesburg, Va., 29 yearsMarlene J Sweeney, Woodbridge, Va.,

19 years

SymsOtis M Belk, Alexandria, Va., 12 years

MagrudersStanley B Green, Alexandria, Va., 33 years

or Local 400 members and allunion members, market sharematters. The greater the per-centage of workers in an indus-

try who belong to unions, the stronger ourbargaining power becomes. The reverse isalso true—if union market share shrinks,downward pressure isplaced on wages andbenefits.

This is the challengeLocal 400 and ourKroger members inRichmond face in theaftermath of Dutchmega-conglomerateRoyal Ahold’s purchaseof the family-ownedUkrop’s grocery chain.

On the surface, this might not seem athreat. After all, Ahold owns the Giantchain in the Washington, D.C., area wherethousands of Local 400 members workempowered by a strong collective bargain-ing agreement.

But Ahold is going into Richmond withthe same predatory aim as Walmart—tosqueeze every last cent of profit out of non-union American workers. Only instead offlowing into Arkansas, the hard-earnedmoney of Richmond residents shopping at

Ukrop’s will be sent across the Atlantic toAmsterdam.

How can Ahold do this? By operating ina “double-breasted” fashion, walling offits unionized operations from its growingnon-union sector, like the Carlisle, Penna.-based Ahold subsidiary that has been

flooding Virginia withits Martin’s Super-markets—and that nowhas swept up Ukrop’s 25stores.

For Ukrop’s employ-ees, this is a nightmare.Ukrop’s long maintaineda paternal relationshipwith its workers andtook pride in its local

roots, supporting many community serviceprojects over the years. Employees, cus-tomers and the community have alreadyseen a far different attitude from a multi-national corporation whose executivescommand an empire of more than 6,000supermarkets worldwide from their head-quarters in the Netherlands.

For Kroger workers in Richmond andaround the region—and for all of us—theAhold/Martin’s incursion is a clear andpresent danger, placing union jobs andworking conditions in jeopardy. And it’s

not just Ahold. The rapid growth of thenon-union, anti-worker Harris Teeter andWegman’s chains in Virginia add to thethreat, along with the continuing presenceof Walmart. If these stalwarts of corporategreed can grow through a race to the bot-tom, then our union employers will try todo the same and bargaining will becomemore adversarial and problematic.

The question is, what do we do inresponse? Here, the answer is crystalclear: By strengthening our Solidarity andby building our union through organizing.We need you to take every opportunity toexplain to your co-workers in Virginia whyunion membership is the best investmentthey can make, and to engage workers atAhold/Martin’s, Harris Teeter, Wegman’sand other non-union markets in a discus-sion about how much they will benefitfrom collective bargaining. We also needyou to be ambassadors in your community,to make the case why a well-paid, fully-empowered union workforce improvesyour neighborhoods and the local economy.

With our market share and our mem-bers’ futures on the line, we’re gearing upfor the fight of our lives. Through unity andresolve, this is a fight I know we can win.

Tom McNuttSecretary-Treasurer


FWe must

build on ourmarket share

throughorganizing.

A Clear& PresentDanger

B A R G A I N I N G U P D A T E B Y W . C H R I S T I A N S A U T E R

Annapolis Police85 employees; expires 6/30/10;Negotiations in progress

Associated Administrators12 employees; expired 10/29/09;Ratified 4 year agreement

Bestway45 employees; contract expires 6/30/10

Brooks Brothers25 employees; expires 3/31/10;Negotiations in progress

Chesapeake Shores85 employees; expired 2/20/10;Negotiations in progress/contract extended

DanChem82 employees; expired 12/31/09;Ratified 3 year agreement

Elizabeth Adam Crump Manor89 employees; contract expires 5/2/10

Gino Morena Enterprises(Aberdeen Proving Ground);12 employees; contract expires 6/4/10

(Ft. Meade Barber)6 employees; contract expired 2/16/09;Negotiations in progress/contract extended

Healthcare Services Group(Elizabeth Adam Crump Manor)20 employees; contract expires 6/15/10

Kaiser Permanente(National Agreement)984 employees; contract expires 12/11/12

Kroger (Richmond/Tidewater)2600 employees; contract expires 3/27/10;Negotiations in progress

Smithsonian185 employees; contract expired 12/31/09;Ratified 1 year agreement

Sunbridge Nursing Home45 employees; contract expires 4/14/10

Syms Corporation80 employees; expired 4/30/09;Negotiations in progress/contract extended

Todd Enterprises20 employees; contract expired 2/14/10;Negotiations in progress/contract extended

United Food and CommercialWorkers Local 4004301 Garden City DriveLandover, MD 20785

Change Service Requested

Nonprofit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDHyattsville, MD

Permit No. 4084

Documents

Heck - ufcw400.orgufcw400.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/UFCW400_UnLeader_M-M… · has been devoted to the cause of helping my brothers and sisters improve their lives. What could