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President's Perspective
Local 5 – Making a Difference
By Ron Lind
The merger is complete and Local 5
has been launched. So the question is – what does this
mean for our 25,000 members. Clearly, in just a few
short months we have seen the difference that a strong,
unified union can make.
In bargaining, we spoke with a clear,
powerful voice in our discussions with Save Mart and
protected the jobs and seniority rights of Albertson’s
employees who were at risk during that company’s sale.
When Nob Hill floated a plan to open a non-union store
in Alameda, Local 5 told the company that such a move
would draw a response throughout our union’s
jurisdiction from Monterey County to Napa. The store
opened with a union contract. And when we bargain later
this year with Rite Aid, with food employers and with
others, Local 5 will play a leadership role that will
assure that our members’ interests are heard.
In politics, we are making a
difference with a full-time political director and a
coordinated plan to advocate our agenda on the local,
state and national level. In Washington and Sacramento,
we’re taking the lead on issues like health care,
immigration reform and the right to organize. Locally,
we’re working with elected officials to help protect our
union market share by limiting the growth of non-union
stores. Thanks in part to our work in Antioch, that city
said no in January to a Super Walmart and we are
continuing our efforts in Concord, Marina, Salinas,
Livermore and other cities.
We are quickly building our
organizing department by shifting resources and
reassigning staff and we’re getting more members
involved as Special Project Union Representatives who
are helping us on important programs. Local 5 organizing
victories at Concord Produce, Super Mexico Mercado and
in our Agricultural Division have set the pattern for
future growth.
Our representative’s territories have
been consolidated and redrawn to make more sense and to
increase the quality and regularity of membership
service. We’re coordinating our grievance handling
process to assure that our contracts are enforced and
that our members’ rights are protected. In the coming
weeks we will be rolling out our dues check-off option
for those who don’t currently have it and a free legal
counseling service for those who need it.
Plans are underway to roll out an
expanded steward program and a new member orientation
plan that will build a new generation of union
activists. In July, our Market Share Protection Plan
goes into effect throughout our union giving all members
the opportunity to earn a $3 per month dues rebate for
volunteering four hours of their time on a union
activity.
It hasn’t all been easy.
Consolidating the financial structures, computer
networks, phone systems, workplace policies and other
aspects of seven organizations into one has been a
challenging task. But our staff and our board members
have worked hard on the process and I’m confident that
it will continue to come together in a way that will
assure our success. I also rely a great deal on the
input of our members. I encourage you to contact me by
phone, email, at a meeting or during one of my worksite
visits to let me know what we are doing right and what
we can improve on.
In short, we have many challenges and
many opportunities. I look forward to working with all
of you as we continue to build a strong, innovative and
democratic union that will meet the challenges and
embrace the opportunities.
Ronald J.
Lind
President
UFCW Local 5
408-998-0428
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