WWW.UFCW.ORGMarch 19, 2013 Volume 18, Issue 2

UFCW Pilgrim’s Pride Poultry Workers Travel to Washington, D.C. to Fight for Industry Changes

Last week, 12 Pilgrim’s Pride poultry workers from UFCW Locals 227, 455, 540, 1996, 2008, and RWDSU Mid-South Council traveled to Washington, D.C. to fight for changes in the poultry industry.

Despite the financial success experienced by many poultry companies, poultry workers continue to earn some of the low-est wages and face some of the most dangerous workplaces in the industry. Pilgrim’s Pride workers especially are suffering.

When Pilgrim’s Pride faced bankruptcy back in 2008, the company asked the workers to make concessions to keep their plants viable. Those workers with a union voice on the job were able to protect themselves from the most severe cuts, but had to sacrifice overtime pay and holidays to keep their jobs. The company is now posting record profits but the workers have not seen a raise in over two years, or had the overtime and holidays they gave up returned to them. And, Pilgrim’s Pride is holding workers up at the negotiating table and leaving contracts open.

“We work hard and work full-time and we just can’t make ends meet on these wages. My entire community is centered around the poultry plant. When workers aren’t making decent wages, the whole community suffers because people can’t afford to buy anything,” said Brian Rush, a Pilgrim’s Pride worker from the Batesville, Ark., plant and a member of UFCW Local 2008.

UFCW Pilgrim’s Pride poultry workers visited Secrectary of Agri-cultre Tom Vilsack, OSHA, and members of Congress to lobby for better wages and worker safety in the poultry industry.

“On these wages, a lot of people can’t even afford to buy the product that they make. If a person makes $9 an hour and a box of chicken is around $60 - it all just doesn’t make sense,” said Carey Stanley, a Pilgrim’s Pride worker from the Live Oak, Fla., plant and a member of UFCW Local 1996.

Pilgrim’s Pride travelled to Washington, D.C. on a mission to tell their stories and educate lawmakers and policymak-ers about what it’s like to work in the poultry industry. They visited and spoke with Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and his staff, ranking members of OSHA, as well as Senators Pryor, Kaine, Bennet, and Stabenow, and several members of the House of Representatives.

At the Department of Agriculture, members told Secretary Vilsack and key staff members about the struggles they face working full-time for a successful company that pays low wages. Workers also pointed out that Pilgrim’s Pride receives almost $75 million in government contracts, and is the second largest government poultry contract in the country. They argued that changes have to be made so that there is some bal-ance and justice between company profits and worker wages.

“I brought my W-2 and my last paycheck to show them that I work 40-hour weeks and last year I made only $18,000. I work hard, my family makes sacrifices, and we are struggling so much,” said Idalid Guerrero, a Pilgrim’s Pride worker from the Lufkin, Texas, plant and a member of UFCW Local 540.

Workers then visited with Assistant Director of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels, Chief of Staff Debbie Berkowitz and additional staff of OSHA. In their meeting, workers discussed safety issues on the job, including dangerous ammonia leaks, the lack of decent medical care at the workplace, and the company not reporting injuries to avoid any lost-time reports.

The lobby day continued with workers visiting senators and representatives on Capitol Hill. There, workers educated mem-bers of Congress and their staff on the nature of the poultry industry, how workers are treated, and called for the necessary changes that the industry and union can make to turn poultry jobs into middle class, family supporting jobs. Workers also asked members of Congress to support a new federal study on the poultry industry in order to investigate further into worker wages and workplace conditions and bring the poultry industry issues to attention so that companies will begin to be held ac-countable and changes can be made. OP

WWW.UFCW.ORGMarch 19, 2013 Volume 18, Issue 2

Macy’s Workers from UFCW Local 367 Ratify New Contract

Macy’s workers from Tacoma Mall in Washington recently ratified a new three-year contract.

Last week, over 300 Tacoma Mall Macy’s workers in Wash-ington who are represented by UFCW Local 367 ratified a new contract. The new three-year contract includes the elimination of the two-tier wage structure, annual wage increases for the thereafter rates, recognition of years of service for on-call associates in hours selection, and other positive changes.

Negotiations between Local 367 and Macy’s began on January 23, and went on through early March. Union members showed strong solidarity while working toward a fair contract.

“It was the Tacoma Macy’s members’ solidarity that enabled us to beat back the two-tier system, “ said Local 367 President Denise Jagielo. “Long-time members stood strongly together with new hires to end this unfair practice.” OP

UFCW Supports Nomination of Tom Perez as Labor SecretaryYesterday, President Obama nominated Tom Perez, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, as Secretary of Labor - a job that would give him a major role in the adminis-tration’s effort to raise the minimum wage and reform immi-gration laws.

Perez is a lifelong public servant and previously worked as an aide to Senator Ted Kennedy, a member of the Montgomery County Council in Maryland, and as an assistant to former At-torney General Janet Reno.

The UFCW released the following statement in response to the nomination of Tom Perez:

“The UFCW strongly supports the nomination of Tom Perez as Labor Secretary. Tom led the Maryland Department of Labor with excellence and is strongly qualified for this post. Now more than ever, workers need a champion at the Depart-ment that will fight for fair wages, safe workplaces, and the right to organize. We are confident Tom Perez will provide that leadership.” OP

UFCW Challenges Senate to Push Back on Walmart Foundation President’s Nomination to Head OMBIn a letter to Democratic Senators with jurisdiction review of the nominee for the Obama Administration’s Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the UFCW pushed for scrutiny into Sylvia Mathews Burwell’s tenure at the Walmart Foundation.

An excerpt from the letter read, “The Walmart Foundation is the primary mechanism for the retail giant to influence community organizations, particularly those serving the poor, in its effort to expand its retail operations into new markets. Investigative reporting by The Nation’s Josh Eidelson revealed that the Walmart Foundation’s financial records and public websites show a pattern of donations to key community orga-nizations where the retailer seeks to open new stores and then demands free publicity as an apparent quid-pro-quo for the charitable donation. You have an opportunity to untangle this web of influence between this non-profit charitable organiza-tion and the business interests of the nation’s largest private employer during confirmation hearings with Ms. Burwell.”

Hearings on this nomination should take place later this spring. OP