The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile and chemical trades, and retail food. Until July 2005, UFCW was affiliated with the AFL-CIO, where it was the second largest union by membership. Along with two other members of the Change to Win Coalition, the UFCW formally disaffiliated with the AFL-CIO on July 29, 2005. Image File history File links Ufcw_logo. ... The Change to Win Federation is a coalition of American labor unions originally formed in 2005 as an alternative to the AFL-CIO. The coalition is associated with strong advocacy of the organising model. ... The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC (in French le Congrès du travail du Canada or CTC) is the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labor unions are affiliated. ... Nickname: the District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Official website: http://www. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Health care or healthcare is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions [1]. The organised provision of such services may constitute a healthcare system. ... The meat packing industry is an industry that handles the slaughtering, processing and distribution of animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... It has been suggested that Textile manufacturing be merged into this article or section. ... The AFL-CIO is the largest labor union federation in the United States. ... The Change to Win Coalition is a coalition of American labor unions originally formed in 2005 as an alternative to the AFL-CIO. // New Unity Partnership At the dawn of the twenty-first century, labor union density (percentage of unionized American workers) was reaching a historic low point. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

The UFCW was created through the merger of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters union and Retail Clerks International Union in 1979. The UFCW expanded by merging with several smaller unions between 1980 and 1998. The Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AMCBW), officially the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, was a labor union that represented retail butchers and packinghouse workers. ... The Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU), was a labor union that represented retail employees. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

2003 California grocery strike

On October 11, 2003, the UFCW declared a strike on Vons (owned by Safeway Inc.), in Southern California, because of drastic changes in the new proposed labor contract. These changes included cuts in health care and pension benefits, and the creation of a two-tier wage. The grocery chains had demanded steep cuts, citing future competition from Wal-Mart although it has yet to enter the California market in force. Many pundits saw the expected strike/lockout as a chance for the grocery chains to end one of the most union-favoured contracts in all of the US, which would set a precedent for restructuring of labour contracts elsewhere in the companies' favour. The day following the of strike, Albertsons and Ralphs (owned by Kroger) locked out their Southern California employees. October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Vons is a Southern California supermarket chain, and is a division of Safeway Inc. ... Safeway NYSE: SWY is North Americas third largest supermarket chain, with over 1800 stores located throughout the central and western United States and Canada. ... Southern California Downtown Los Angeles Skyline Southern California, sometimes abbreviated SoCal or colloquially, the Southland, is an informal name for the megalopolis and nearby desert that occupies the southern-most quarter of the state of California. ... A typical Albertsons store. ... Ralphs is a major supermarket chain in the Southern California area. ... Kroger headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. ... A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. ...

In a strong show of sympathy - with other unions also facing cuts to health, wage, and pension benefits - similar strikes, lockouts, and tense negotiations broke out across the country: in northern California, western Washington, Colorado, and Ohio. Although the UFCW seemed well poised to capitalize upon that support and retain much of their benefits, many argue that their potential was sabotaged by the AFL-CIO bosses. The AFL-CIO's primary goal was supporting the Democrats and the Democrats were beneficiaries of campaign contributions from several companies that the UFCW was striking against. The AFL-CIO helped to settle or discourage the sympathy strikes before they escalated, even at the cost of significantly reduced health benefits. Also, the AFL-CIO did not mobilize their national resources to aid the UFCW even though it would have made a difference at crucial points in the campaign. Ending up, the AFL-CIO convinced the UFCW to call off the strike since elections were coming up that year. (disputed — see talk page) The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other one being the Republican Party. ... Presidential election results map. ...

The UFCW and the companies reached an agreement on February 26, 2004, at about 5:30pm. Although it contained steep cuts to benefits, essentially meeting all the grocery chains' demands, the UFCW members voted overwhelmingly because many could not afford to continue the strike. As a result of the failed California grocery strike, many UFCW members harboured a deep resentment at the AFL-CIO for "selling them out". This was a major reason for the UFCW leaving the AFL-CIO in 2005. (disputed — see talk page) February 26 is the 57th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... It has been designated the: International Year of Rice (by the United Nations) International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO) 2004 World Health Day topic was Road Safety (by World Health Organization) Year of the Monkey (by the Chinese calendar) See the world in...

UFCW and Wal-Mart

The UFCW has accused Wal-Mart, with its non-unionized workforce of treating its workers poorly and of driving down employment standards in the retail sector. To counter this, the union has been trying to organize the chain. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ...

The union's attempt at organizing Wal-Mart has been unsuccessful in the U.S.A. Its only victory, at a meat-cutting department in Texas, was short-lived as the company got rid of that department nationwide soon after. Official language(s) None. ...

In Canada, however, UFCW managed to win union recognition at two stores in Quebec. The first, in Jonquière, closed in February 2005 after the company claimed the store was losing money and union demands would have made continued operation untenable; disputing this, union officials have claimed the closure sacrificed the store to make a point to other potential organizers. At the second, in Saint-Hyacinthe, the company and the union are currently engaged in the collective bargaining process. Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Official languages French Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Lieutenant-Governor Lise Thibault Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 75 24 Area Total  â€¢ Land  â€¢ Water    (% of total)  Ranked 1st 1,542,056 km² 1,183,128 km² 176,928... Jonquière was a city on the Saguenay River in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec, Canada, near Chicoutimi. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Saint-Hyacinthe (Ville de) town in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. ...

The union has also applied for recognition at a dozen other Wal-Marts. These applications are pending in various provincial Labour Relation Boards.

The UFCW pays individuals $8 per hour, with no benefits, to picket outside Wal-Mart in protest of their employee policies. Almost none of these paid protesters have been employees of Wal-Mart. However, one paid picketer in a protest in Henderson, Nevada was an ex-employee of Wal-Mart that had little to complain about Wal-Mart, spoke well of the pay he received, and even said he would consider re-applying. [1]

UFCW and Meijer

Meijer is a major regional retailer based in Michigan whose workforce are members of the UFCW. Meijer (pronounced MY-er) is a regional department store and grocery retailer with about half of its stores located in Michigan, and the rest located across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. ...

Most Meijer employees are members of the UFCW. In addition to their regular unpaid 30 minute lunch break, they are given a 15 minute break every two hours.

UFCW and Shop Rite

ShopRite is a major regional retailer based in New Jersey whose workforce are members of the UFCW. ShopRite (or its full name ShopRite Supermarkets) is a co-op chain of supermarkets in the Northeastern United States, in the states of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. ...

Most Shop Rite employees are members of the UFCW. In addition to their regular unpaid 30 minute lunch break (For employees that work more than 5 hours a day, of which, half of break is paid) they are given a 15 minute break every three hours. Shop Rite Employees enjoy a tiered raise schedule, averaging 25 cents every six months. They also enjoy many healthcare benifits for both full and part time workers.

External resources

• United Food and Commercial Workers
• UFCW 8-Golden State