The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is a

labor union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in industries including retail; meatpacking,

food processing Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex industr ...

and manufacturing; hospitality;

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

;

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...

; chemical trades; security;

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

, and health care. UFCW is affiliated with the

Canadian Labour Congress The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC (french: Congrès du travail du Canada, link=no or ) is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated. History Formation The CLC was ...

(CLC) and the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

; it disaffiliated from the AFL–CIO in 2005 but reaffiliated in 2013. UFCW is also affiliated to

UNI Global Union UNI Global Union, formerly Union Network International (UNI), is a global union federation for the skills and services sectors, gathering national and regional trade union. It has affiliated unions in 150 countries representing 20 million workers ...

and the

IUF The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) is a global union federation of trade unions with members in a variety of industries, many of which relate to food processi ...

History

MakeEndsMeetRally-8-2-2016012 (28652631331)

The UFCW was created through the merger of the

Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America The Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AMC), officially the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, 1897–1979, was a labor union that represented retail and packinghouse workers. In 1979, the AMCBW merged with the Retail Clerks ...

(AMC) union and

Retail Clerks International Union The Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU) was a labor union that represented retail employees. History The RCIU was chartered as the "Retail Clerks National Protective Union" in 1890 by the American Federation of Labor. It later adopted the n ...

(RCIU), following the new union's founding convention in June 1979.

William H. Wynn William H. "Bill" Wynn (1932 – February 21, 2002) was the first president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), and the last president of the Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU), after the latter merged with t ...

, president of the RCIU and one of the designers of the merger, became president of UFCW at the time of its founding. The merger created the largest union affiliated with the

. The UFCW continued to expand both by organizing and merging with several smaller unions between 1980 and 1998. In 1980, the

Barbers, Beauticians and Allied Industries International Association The Barbers, Beauticians and Allied Industries International Association (BBAIIA) was a labor union representing workers in the personal grooming industry in the United States and Canada. The union was founded on December 5, 1887, as the Journeymen ...

merged with UFCW, followed a year later by the United Retail Workers Union (now Local 881). The UFCW held its first regular international convention in

Montreal, Canada Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

, in 1983. The

Insurance Workers' International Union The Insurance Workers' International Union (IWIU) was a labor union representing workers in the insurance industry in the United States and Canada. History The union was established on May 18, 1959, when the Insurance Agents' International Union me ...

also that year voted to have their 15,000 members join the UFCW. In 1986 the Canadian Brewery Workers Union merged with the UFCW. However, it was also during this time period that the UFCW leadership did not support the

Austin, Minnesota Austin is a city in, and the county seat of, Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River and has two artificial lakes, East Side Lake and Mill Po ...

meatpackers local (P-9) in its contract dispute with the

Hormel Foods Corporation Hormel Foods Corporation is an American food processing company founded in 1891 in Austin, Minnesota, by George A. Hormel as George A. Hormel & Company. The company originally focused on the packaging and selling of ham, sausage and other pork, ...

, the 1985–86 Hormel strike. The UFCW ultimately struck a deal with Hormel management, seized control of Local P-9, and removed the local union leaders, actions that dealt a blow to the credibility of the UFCW in the eyes of others in the larger labor movement. This dispute was the subject of the award-winning documentary, '' American Dream''. In 1991 the 5,000 members of the Independent Food Handlers and Warehouse Employees Union in Rhode Island and Massachusetts merged with the UFCW to form Local 791. Bringing about the largest addition to the UFCW since its creation in 1979, on October 1, 1993, the

Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) is a labor union in the United States. Founded in 1937, the RWDSU represents about 60,000 workers in a wide range of industries, including but not limited to retail, grocery stores, poultry pro ...

, and their 100,000 members, merged with the UFCW, becoming the RWDSU District Council of the UFCW. In 1994

Douglas H. Dority Douglas H. Dority was president of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), one of North America's largest labor unions. Early life Dority was born on December 9, 1938, in Marion, Virginia. Activism and career Dor ...

was appointed the second international president by the International Executive Board following the retirement of William Wynn. Dority was subsequently elected to remain International President at the UFCW's fourth regular International Convention in 1998, and again at the fifth regular convention in 2003. In 1994 the 15,000-member strong

United Garment Workers The United Garment Workers of America (UGW or UGWA) was a United States labor union which existed between 1891 and 1994. It was an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor. History The UGWA was formed in New York in April 1891 and lead ...

of America also merged with the UFCW. A year later, the 15,000-member Textile Workers and the 15,000-member

Distillery, Wine and Allied Workers' International Union The Distillery, Wine and Allied Workers' International Union (DWAW) was a labor union representing workers involved in making alcoholic drinks in the United States. History The union was founded in 1940 as the Distillery, Rectifying and Wine Worker ...

unions merged with the UFCW, forming respectively the UFCW Textile and Garment Council and the UFCW’s Distillery, Wine and Allied Workers Division. In 1996 the 40,000 members of the

International Chemical Workers' Union The International Chemical Workers' Union (ICWU) was a labor union representing workers in the chemical industry in the United States and Canada. History The union's origins lay in the Chemical Workers' Council, established by the American Federati ...

merged with the UFCW to form the International Chemical Workers Union Council of the UFCW. A year later, the Canadian Union of Restaurant and Related Employees merged with the UFCW. And the following year, both the United Representatives Guild, Inc. and the Production Service and Sales District Council merged with the UFCW. In 2003, 80,000 members of the UFCW across the country went on strike to protect their wages and benefit packages. In 2004, following the retirement of Dority, Joseph T. Hansen was appointed by unanimous vote of the UFCW International Executive Board to be the third international president of the UFCW. He was elected for two consecutive terms as international president by delegates to the UFCW's Regular International Conventions in 2008 and 2013. In 2005, Hansen announced the UFCW was leaving the

, and joined six other unions – the

Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the u ...

SEIU Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of members ...

UNITE-HERE UNITE HERE is a labor union in the United States and Canada with roughly 300,000 active members. The union's members work predominantly in the hotel, food service, laundry, warehouse, and casino gaming industries. The union was formed in 2004 by ...

Laborers A laborer (or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor types in the construction industry workforce. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in which their only possession of significant material value is their labor. Industries e ...

United Farm Workers The United Farm Workers of America, or more commonly just United Farm Workers (UFW), is a labor union for farmworkers in the United States. It originated from the merger of two workers' rights organizations, the Agricultural Workers Organizing ...

and

Carpenters Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tra ...

– in creating a new labor federation, the

Change to Win Federation The Strategic Organizing Center (SOC), formerly known as the Change to Win Federation (CtW) is a coalition of North American labor unions originally formed in 2005 as an alternative to the AFL–CIO. The coalition is associated with strong advoca ...

. On August 8, 2013, the UFCW announced it was changing its affiliation back to AFL–CIO. On December 15, 2014, Anthony "Marc" Perrone was appointed the fourth international president of the UFCW by the International Executive Board, following the retirement of Hansen.

Activity

Canadian agriculture

The UFCW has attempted to organize agricultural workers in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada, since 1995, when the provincial government passed legislation prohibiting those workers from joining unions. In 2001 the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

ruled in favour of UFCW Canada in the case of ''Dunmore v. Ontario''. In the ruling, the Court held that the Ontario government violated the

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms The ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' (french: Charte canadienne des droits et libertés), often simply referred to as the ''Charter'' in Canada, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada, forming the first part o ...

by denying agricultural workers unionization rights under Ontario

labor law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

as it had infringed on those workers'

freedom of association Freedom of association encompasses both an individual's right to join or leave groups voluntarily, the right of the group to take collective action to pursue the interests of its members, and the right of an association to accept or decline membe ...

. In 2004, UFCW Canada and the

National Union of Public and General Employees The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is a Canadian trade union. Taken in total it is the second largest union in Canada. Most of its 425,000 members work in the provincial public service sector. There is also a large and gr ...

(NUPGE) signed a formal organizing protocol recognizing the UFCW as the union with primary jurisdiction for organizing agricultural workers in Canada and agreeing to cooperate on joint organizing and advocacy campaigns.

Medical Cannabis and Hemp Division

The

industry was originally targeted for union organizing by UFCW Local 5 special operations director

Dan Rush Dan Rush is an American former union organizer and former statewide political and special operations director of the United Food and Commercial Workers for cannabis and hemp workers. He was known for being a leader in the United States Labor move ...

in 2010. After some initial success, Rush has since been serving federal prison time for cheating the union for personal gain by taking bribes from employers, and both the local and international unions have disowned him. In 2010, Rush brokered a deal in which some California medical-marijuana business owners voted to become UFCW Local 5 members, in return for union endorsement of marijuana law reform. Recognized shops in Oakland included Richard Lee's

Oaksterdam University Oaksterdam University is self-recognized as the world's first cannabis college. Located in Oakland, CA, the educational facility was founded in November 2007 by medical marijuana activist Richard Lee to offer quality training for the cannabis ...

, Oaksterdam Gift Shop, Blue Sky Coffee Shop/Dispensary, and the Bulldog Coffee Shop; and AMCD Dispensaries Inc, and the Patient ID Center. Soon after, the workers at Medi-Cone Farms of California joined the union. Between May 2010 and June 2011, more California business owners signed a neutrality agreement with UFCW, including Humboldt Bay Wellness Center and 707 Cannabis College in the

Emerald Triangle The Emerald Triangle is a region in Northern California, named as such due to it being the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. The region includes three counties in an upside-down triangular configuration: * Humboldt County, ...

of the California north coast. The international union realized that the industry consisted of the union's core industries, retail pharmacy and healthcare, agriculture, food processing and textiles-with hemp. Few of these Top-Down Recognitions or Neutrality Agreements resulted in competitive contracts for cannabis workers in California. Only a handful of dispensaries in California have dues-paying members. In September 2011, some of Colorado’s industry associations of legally compliant marijuana sellers, representing 8,000 people, voted to join the UFCW. The labor union, which traditionally bargains mostly with grocery and meat-packing companies, solidified the national division that could represent cannabis workers nationwide. On 17 September 2015, the office of the

United States Attorney for the Northern District of California The United States Attorney for the Northern District of California is the United States Attorney responsible for representing the federal government in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The Northern Dis ...

announced that a federal grand jury had indicted Rush on a variety of counts on the basis of his cannabis-related union activities. He pled guilty in 2017 and served 37 months in federal prison.

Work stoppages and conflict with corporations

2003 California grocery strike

On October 11, 2003, the UFCW declared a strike on

Vons Vons is a Southern California and Southern Nevada supermarket chain owned by Albertsons. It is headquartered in Fullerton, California, and operates stores under the Vons and Pavilions banners. It was owned by Safeway Inc. and headquartered in Ar ...

(owned by

Safeway Inc. Safeway is an American supermarket chain founded by Marion Barton Skaggs in April 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. The chain provides grocery items, food and general merchandise and features a variety of specialty departments, such as bakery, del ...

), in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

, because of company-proposed changes to the new labor contract. These changes included cuts in health care and pension benefits, and the creation of a

two-tier system A two-tier system is a type of payroll system in which one group of workers receives lower wages and/or employee benefits than another.Sherman, Arthur W.; Bohlander, George W.; and Snell, Scott. ''Managing Human Sesources.'' Cincinnati, Ohio: South- ...

in which new workers would be paid on a different schedule than existing workers. These changes were proposed due to competition from non-union retailers like Walmart. The day following the strike,

Albertsons Albertsons Companies, Inc. is an American grocery company founded and headquartered in Boise, Idaho. With 2,253 stores as of the third quarter of fiscal year 2020 and 270,000 employees as of fiscal year 2019, the company is the second-large ...

and

Ralphs Ralphs is an American supermarket chain in Southern California. The largest subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger, it is the oldest such chain west of the Mississippi River. Kroger also operates stores under the Food 4 Less and Foods Co. names ...

, owned by

Kroger The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cincin ...

locked out Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

their Southern California employees. The strike ended on February 26, 2004 when the UFCW and affected companies reached an agreement on a new contract. Union employees voted to end the strike, and many employees cited financial difficulties as a reason for ratifying the agreement. The new labor contract included concessions granted by the chains relating to current employee benefits and wages, and concessions granted by the union relating to creating two tiers of employees and cutting benefits overall.

Smithfield Foods

During the 1990s and 2000s, the UFCW was embroiled in a dispute with non-unionized meat processing company

Smithfield Foods Smithfield Foods, Inc., is an American pork producer and food-processing company based in Smithfield, Virginia, in the United States, and an independent subsidiary of WH Group. Founded in 1936 as the Smithfield Packing Company by Joseph W. Luter ...

. The UFCW had repeatedly attempted to organize the company's

Bladen County, North Carolina Bladen County ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

...

meat-packing plant, but Smithfield Foods resisted this organizing. In 2007, Smithfield filed a federal lawsuit against the UFCW citing the

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. RICO was en ...

(RICO), claiming that the union orchestrated a public smear campaign to hurt Smithfield's business as a method of extorting the company. In the media, a Smithfield official cited the lawsuit as necessary by claiming that the company was "under attack," while union officials responded by calling the lawsuit an "attack on democracy and free speech." In October 2008, the UFCW and Smithfield reached an agreement, under which the union agreed to suspend its boycott campaign in return for the company dropping its RICO lawsuit and allowing another election. On December 10 and 11, workers at the plant voted 2,041 to 1,879 in favor of joining the UFCW, bringing the 15-year fight to an end.

Walmart

Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

, a non-unionized company, has repeatedly been accused by the UFCW of treating its workers poorly and driving down employment standards. The UFCW has repeatedly attempted to organize the chain, but these attempts have been unsuccessful in the United States. In

, the UFCW managed to win union recognition at two

stores in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and one in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Walmart closed the Jonquière store and workers in Saint-Hyacinthe voted to decertify UFCW in 2011. The union has also applied for recognition at a dozen other Walmarts and had won a contract with a Walmart store in

Gatineau, Quebec Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

, Canada. After a couple years of unsuccessful negotiations between the union and Walmart the workers at the store decided to leave the union. The last remaining unionized Walmart in North America was located in

Weyburn, Saskatchewan Weyburn is the eleventh-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. The city has a population of 10,870. It is on the Souris River southeast of the provincial capital of Regina and is north from the North Dakota border in the United States. The n ...

. Walmart successfully repelled an attempted UFCW unionization campaign there in August 2013 when the

dismissed the union's attempt to compel Walmart to reach a collective agreement with it; workers at the Weyburn store then voted 51 to 5 to decertify the union. In April 2005, as part of a volley of accusatory websites created by Walmart and the UFCW, the union created Wake Up Walmart, a U.S.-based website and campaign with the stated goal of reforming Walmart's business practices.

Bashas'

In 2007,

Bashas' Bashas' is a family-owned grocery store chain, primarily located in Arizona, with two locations outside the state in Crownpoint, New Mexico, and Shiprock, New Mexico. Its headquarters are in unincorporated Maricopa County, Arizona, near Chandler ...

filed a lawsuit against UFCW with the Supreme Court of Arizona. The lawsuit accused the UFCW and the union's operatives - including its "false-front" organization, "Hungry for Respect" - of defamation and intentionally interfering with the grocer's operations to extort an agreement for union representation. The company also named Radio Campesina (a project of the United Farm Workers Union founded by Cesar Chavez), Councilman Michael Nowakosky, and Reverend Trina Zelle as defendants.

Jim Beam

In October 2016, about 250 workers for

Beam Suntory Beam Suntory, Inc. is an American-founded, Japanese multinational company that produces alcoholic beverages. It is a subsidiary of Suntory, based in Osaka, Japan. It is the third largest producer of distilled beverages worldwide, behind Diageo ...

(the producer of the whiskey bourbon brand

Jim Beam Jim Beam is an American brand of bourbon whiskey produced in Clermont, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is one of the best-selling brands of bourbon in the world. Since 1795 (interrupted by Prohibition), seven generations of the Beam family have be ...

) went on strike over long working hours and the hiring of temporary workers in lieu of permanent full-time workers at two distillery facilities in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. The strike ended after about a week with a new labor contract that included a cap on the number of temporary workers and a commitment from the company to hire more full-time employees.

Stop & Shop

The 2019 Stop & Shop strike began on April 11, 2019, when approximately 31,000 workers, represented by the UFCW, walked off the job and began picketing

Stop & Shop The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, known as Stop & Shop, is a regional chain of supermarkets located in the northeastern United States. From its beginnings in 1892 as a small grocery store, it has grown to include 406 stores chain-wide. Sto ...

locations in the states of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. The strike was in response to the company not agreeing, after extensive negotiations, to a contract which did not reduce employee pay and benefits. The strike ended eleven days later on April 21. The tentative agreement preserved health and pension benefits and raised employee pay.

Heaven Hill

In September 2021, about 420 members of UFCW Local 23D went on strike at the

Heaven Hill Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a varie ...

bourbon distillery in

Bardstown, Kentucky Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

Political activities

In the United States, the UFCW's political action committee spent $11,145,605 in the 2014 election cycle, 99 percent of which went to Democratic candidates and 1 percent of which went to Republican candidates. UFCW's PAC spent $673,309 in independent expenditures promoting the election of

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

in 2008 and contributed $1.8 million to Democratic federal candidates in 2008 and $1.7 million to Democratic congressional candidates in 2010. In early 2011, the Obama administration granted waivers to 28 different UFCW healthcare plans, allowing them to avoid full compliance with the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presid ...

for a year.

International Presidents

UFCW Union pin 2013 International Convention

The presidents of the United Food and Commercial Workers are: *

, 1979–1994 *

, 1994–2004 * Joseph T. Hansen, 2004–2014 * Anthony "Marc" Perrone, 2014–present In leading the union, the president is supported by the international executive committee, which, in addition to the president, includes the international secretary-treasurer, and the union's three international executive vice-presidents, one of whom historically includes the Canadian director. The international executive committee is a subcommittee of the international executive board, which is the union's highest decision making authority between regular conventions. The international executive board consists of the members of the international executive committee plus 50 international vice presidents, all of whom are elected by regular UFCW international conventions.

Canadian directors

The UFCW Canadian director (also known as the national director and, more recently, the national president) is the union's ranking official based in Canada. The Canadian director is elected by Canadian delegates to UFCW regular conventions. As part of his or her duties, the Canadian director serves as the union's chief spokesperson in Canada, presides over the UFCW Canada national council, and represents the union on the CLC Canadian council. The Canadian director also leads the efforts of the UFCW Canada national office, which involve field staff in every Canadian province, as well as dedicated resources and staff for communications, training and education, political and legislative affairs, and special projects. As per the UFCW Constitution, the UFCW Canadian director is the union's International Vice President number one for Canada. And in recent years, the UFCW Canadian director has also served on the UFCW International Executive Committee as one of the union's three International Executive Vice Presidents, whom are elected at-large by delegates to regular conventions. The Canadian directors of the United Food and Commercial Workers are: * Clifford R. Evans, 1988–1992 * Thomas Kukovica, 1992–1999 * Michael J. Fraser, 1999–2006 * Wayne E. Hanley, 2006–2013
Paul R. Meinema
2013–present Prior to 1988, the UFCW's efforts in Canada were co-directed by the director of region 18 and the director of region 19. Region 18 included the former members of the

Amalgamated Meat Cutters The Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AMC), officially the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, 1897–1979, was a labor union that represented retail and packinghouse workers. In 1979, the AMCBW merged with the Retail Clerks I ...

, and its directors were Romeo Mathieu (1979–1983), Frank Benn (1983–1986), and Willard "Bill" Hanley (1986–1988). Region 19 included the former members of the Retail Clerks Union, and its director was Clifford R. Evans (1979–1988).

Landrum–Griffin Act violations

The

Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (also "LMRDA" or the Landrum–Griffin Act), is a US labor law that regulates labor unions' internal affairs and their officials' relationships with employers. Background After enactment ...

(also "LMRDA" or the "Landrum-Griffin Act"), is a

that regulates labor unions' internal affairs and their officials' relationships with employers. On October 22, 2013, the

Office of Labor-Management Standards The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor that promotes standards for democracy and fiscal responsibility in labor organizations. It was formed in 1959. Activities OLMS administers and enfo ...

(OLMS) of the

United States Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemploym ...

accepted a voluntary compliance agreement with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 5 (located in San Jose, Calif.), concerning the challenged election of officers conducted on September 4, 2012, as well as the March 22, 2013 re-run election ordered by the International union. The union agreed to conduct a new election, including new nominations, for the offices of president, secretary-treasurer, recorder, and vice-presidents 1 through 31 under OLMS supervision. The investigation of the challenged election disclosed that union resources were used when the UFCW International President sent a campaign letter to various UFCW officers soliciting contributions and his executive assistant obtained the recipients’ addresses while on union time. The agreement follows an investigation by the OLMS San Francisco-Seattle District Office. A UFCW member in Southern California filed a complaint in 2013 with the OLMS against former UFCW 1036 Trustees for illegally transferring $100,000.00 from the local union (1036) to UFCW International in a violation of Section 303 of the LMRDA. A statement reported: "The investigation disclosed that on February 26, 2009, the trustee (Shaun Barclay) appointed by the International (UFCW) to manage the affairs of the local (1036) transferred $100,000 of the local's monies to the International...The (UFCW) International... agreed that the transfer was unlawful and should not have occurred". Funds were returned to the appropriate local unions, following the investigation by the Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards.

References

External links

*
United Food and Commercial Workers Canada
* Ansley, Fran and Anne Lewis
Going South, Coming North: Migration and Union Organizing in Morristown, Tennessee
''Southern Spaces'' 19 May 2011.

* ttps://www.thenation.com/article/archive/one-hat-labor/ One Hat for Labor?by David Moberg, ''The Nation'', April 29, 2009 {{DEFAULTSORT:United Food And Commercial Workers Canadian Labour Congress AFL–CIO UNI Global Union Meat processing in Canada Meat processing in the United States Trade unions established in 1979 Food processing trade unions Retail trade unions Meat industry trade unions 1979 establishments in North America