March 2019 NWLP 555 Leader
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This Month in Labor History March 2019
What we now know as the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 represents an amalgam of associations, unions and locals who, for more than one hundred years, have organized and reorganized to build worker power in Oregon. Today, UFCW Local 555 is made up of over 25,000 workers in Oregon and SW Washington. In order to appreciate the strength … Read more
President’s Corner: It continues.
Back in October, I wrote about the “long game:” how negotiations are a process, and one that sometimes feels as if it could go on forever. Here we are in March and I know you’re all feeling the frustration of the process. So am I. So is the whole team. My first retail bargaining session after being elected, though…that one … Read more
Unity Negotiations: the ninth meeting
During this meeting our team looked back over the proposals to date and reviewed the remaining open proposals. The employers told us they needed more time to review their proposals and where they stand. We expressed an interest in bringing in consultants to discuss our health & welfare programs regarding how best to allocate our resources. As we’ve seen again … Read more
From Your Local 555 Officials: The Fight For Equity
As you know if you’ve been following the details on Unity Negotiations, the last thing that happened was an extremely heated session with the employers over the “economics” of the contract. That means wages. They complained that we were asking for far more than anyone could ever expect: far more than was reasonable. (We consider a living wage to be … Read more
February 2019 NWLP 555 Leader
Open this post to read the news from February of 2019. Read more
January 2019 NWLP 555 Leader
Unity Negotiations: the eighth meeting
The parties met for three days and exchanged numerous proposals, including those on economics/wages. It is crystal clear that the employers are in no way connected with the realities that we face. Their wage proposals are light years away from ours; theirs would have us continue to fall behind while the cost of living continues to rise. These employers are … Read more
December 2018 NWLP 555 Leader
Secretary-Treasurer’s Note: Midterm turnout brings a win for voices of labor
Midterm elections last month broke records across the country, including in Oregon, where final ballot returns are hovering around 70% voter turnout. At first glance that sounds a tad lower than turnouts in other local midterm elections, but it only appears that way because it is the first midterm election since passage of the “motor voter” law. Since that law … Read more