WWW.UFCW.ORGOctober 23, 2012 Volume 16, Issue 7

Workers at Farmer John Facility Ratify Their First Contract

Last week, workers at the Farmer John pork processing facility in Vernon, Calif. ratifi ed their fi rst union contract after negotia-tions began in January. Workers came together and voted to have a union voice on the job with UFCW Local 770 in August 2011.

The agreement will cover around 120 workers. Respect and dignity at the workplace are important to the workers during the organizing campaign and under their new contract they will see fair treatment on the job. The contract also includes wage increases and ensures the company is held accountable for promises made to workers.

Workers began their campaign to have a voice on the job in 2010. In an act of solidarity, workers from the neighboring Farmer John plant who won their union voice in 2009 stood by their colleagues throughout the entire campaign. During the or-ganizing campaign and contract negotiations, workers from the two plants actively made calls to worker homes and leafl etted the worksite sending the message that there is power in numbers when workers stand together as one. The two plants also came together for bi-weekly membership meetings to ensure workers stayed motivated and the campaign continued going forward.

Support amongst the workers for a voice on the job and a good contract actually increased during contract negotiations after the election took place. According to UFCW Local President Ricardo Icaza, “It was truly a rare occurrence to have support increase during negotiations. This proved that all the hard work and continued dedication to the campaign was reaching through to workers.”

This latest contract is a victory for workers at both Farmer John plants because they came together so that workers set high workplace standards and to ensure on the job rights no matter which facility location they happen to work at. OP

Chicago Walmart Temp Workers Fight Walmart Labor Violations with Class Action Suit Temporary workers hired to work at Walmart are standing to-gether to combat Walmart’s alleged labor violations. Walmart and its staffi ng agencies broke federal minimum wage and overtime laws by requiring temporary workers to appear early for work, stay late to complete work, work through lunches and breaks and participate in trainings without compensation, a class action suit fi led Monday alleges.

“I only get paid minimum wage and yet Labor Ready and Walmart still try to cheat me by not paying me for the time I actually work,” said Twanda Burk, the primary plaintiff on the lawsuit. “I’ve proven that I’m a good worker, and they just want to take advantage of that.”

Walmart contracts with staffi ng agencies for the services of hundreds of temporary laborers—many of whom earn minimum wage in Chicago-area stores. The company said it would hire 50,000 temporary workers to staff its stores for the upcoming holiday season.

The lawsuit alleges Labor Ready and QPS, two of the staff-ing agencies Walmart uses in the Chicago area, of failing to provide workers assigned to Walmart stores with vital employ-ment information such as employment notices and proper wage payment notices as required by Illinois law.

It further accuses Walmart itself of failing to keep accurate re-cords of workers’ time as required by federal and state law and failing to provide workers with forms verifying hours worked.

“There have been so many times I’ve been told to stay late after my shift to fi nish stocking the shelves, but I didn’t know they wouldn’t pay me for it,” said Anthony Wright, a temp worker at Labor Ready who has worked at a couple of the Walmart stores in the area since late last year.

The lawsuit claims violations of state and federal law begin-ning as early as 2009 and continuing up until the present time. In addition to seeking all unpaid wages for the workers, the suit calls for an injunction against Walmart and its temp agencies preventing them from future violations of state labor laws. OP

Workers from a Farmer John plant in C.A. celebrate ratifying their fi rst union contract.

WWW.UFCW.ORGOctober 23, 2012 Volume 16, Issue 7

The UFCW thanks the following locals that have sent lost timers into the fi eld to help reelect President Obama. Their work over the next two weeks will help us achieve victory.

RWDSU ICWUC Local 1 Local 2 Local 7R Local 23 Local 38 Local 75 Local 88 Local 99 Local 222 Local 227 Local 230 Local 293 Local 400 Local 431 Local 455 Local 540 Local 655 Local 700 Local 876 Local 880 Local 881 Local 888 Local 919 Local 951 Local 1059 Local 1149 Local 1208 Local 1445 Local 1473 Local 1546 Local 1776 Local 1994 Local 1996 List Updated 10/23/12

Send photos of UFCW members on the campaign trail, at your phone bank, or canvassing neighborhoods to onpoint@ufcw.org!

UFCW Members Nationwide Working to Re-Elect President Obama and Worker-Friendly Candidates

UFCW members from around the country have been reaching out to their union brothers and sisters at the worksite, in their homes, and over the phone to let them know about the impor-tance of this election. On a recent canvass, UFCW Local 7 member from Colorado Brian Winkler said, “Working people understand that President Obama wants to bring jobs back here—good paying jobs with benefi ts.”

On Sunday’s Meet the Press, NBC Political Director Chuck Todd said the Colorado race “might be the closest in the country.” Local 7 members point to President Obama’s ac-complishments on job creation and health care. Romney, they worry, would double down on the failed policies of the past. “Mitt Romney is going to chop the middle class and make the wealthy even wealthier,” said Local 7 member Sharron Cou-nas. “We simply cannot afford that.”

Local 7 members will spend the fi nal two weeks making sure every voter gets to the polls. “If we win Colorado, we will win this election,” Counas said. OP

UFCW Local 7 member Sharon Counas prepares to canvass for President Obama in Denver.

Kelly Winston from UFCW Local 75 in Dayton talks to a local registered voter about candidates that support working families.

UFCW Local 1059 member Nikki Rigano helps members fi ll out volunteer cards and collect the literature they need to canvass.

UFCW Local 1208 members canvassing in Fairmont, N.C.