April 4, 2015 555 Leader

SERVING ORGANIZED LABOR IN OREGON AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON SINCE 1900
INSIDE
NORTHWEST
LABOR
PRESS
VOLUME 116, NUMBER 7
PORTLAND, OREGON
APRIL 3, 2015
LOBBY DAY AT THE STATE CAPITOL
DAN CLAY
President
SALEM — UFCW Local 555
held its first Lobby Day of the
2015 Oregon Legislative session on March 18th. We lobbied
legislators on multiple issues
and, thanks to the efforts of
UFCW 555’s rank and file
members, we are closer than
ever before to making first day
sick pay available for all of Oregon’s workers. We also made
great strides toward putting two
pharmacy technicians on the
Oregon Board of Pharmacy,
giving UFCW pharmacy techs
more of a voice on the job than
ever before. You can check
ufcw555.org for a full copy of
our member-driven legislative
agenda.
Lobby Day started out with
recognition of UFCW members
on the House and Senate floors.
At the start of the morning session, Oregon State Senator
Michael Dembrow and State
Representative Ken Helm introduced UFCW Local 555 and informed their peers that we
would be in the building to talk
about issues impacting working
people. We had over 100 people
wearing gold shirts talking with
state reps.
After the acknowledgement,
members had a working lunch
What’s this?
and a brief training on how to
lobby. With over 60 appointments scheduled, our members’
day was a full one.
It was important to ensure
those attending Lobby Day for
the first time that they were prepared.
Sarah Thorson from Albertsons said, “The group I was in
with was great! I had a very
positive experience at the
Salem Capitol. It was cool getting some one-on-one time with
the different folks in the Capitol
Building. I’m walking away
happy knowing they heard what
we had to say.”
Towards the end of the day,
Justin Davis from the Safeway
Distribution Center had this to
say: “I had a blast at Legislative
Lobby Day. It helped me understand how our legislative system
works, and what we as union
members can do to influence
policies all the way at the state
level. I was surprised how receptive Representatives and
Senators were on both sides of
the aisle. They listened to our
ideas as a group and also me in-
dividually. Even those representatives that were not warm to
our message engaged in real
conversations, and were willing
to examine their positions. Legislative Lobby Day is a great
way to counter the voice of the
corporate lobby. I hope to see
more people at the next one.”
For many members attending
Lobby Day, this was not their
first rodeo. “This is my third
Lobby Day. I like to meet lawmakers and explain the things
that are important to UFCW
members. Being active in my
Union makes me feel good, and
it will help make our jobs better,” commented Tim Finn from
Division Fred Meyer.
When asked why he was
there, Andrew Bush, who works
at Mt. Tabor QFC said, “I am
here because communicating
with people is how important
decisions are made, it is how our
government works. These decisions affect us and so it is our
Turn to Page 8
Significant Dental Improvements
Mike Marshall
Director of Membership
Services
The outside pages, and Pages 8 & 9
are news from and about your
union. The inside pages are
produced by the Northwest Labor Press, and cover the labor movement
as a whole. If you like what you see, visit www.nwlaborpress.org.
Members share with me all the
time on things they would like
to see improved in their contracts and/or in their health care
plan. For years, I’ve heard from
members that they desired to
see improvements in the dental
plan offered for those under our
UFCW Local 555-Employers
Health Trust. During the last
round of bargaining in 2011 and
2012, I made it a priority to try
and obtain improvements to
your dental plan.
INSIDE
SECY-TREASURER’S REPORT – Clark County,
Wash. Sets Sights on Workers | Page 16
Following bargaining, many
members saw a huge improvement in their dental coverage in
July 2012. Members previously
went without dental coverage
until they reached Level 3 under
the trust. With the agreement we
reached in 2012, members began to receive dental benefits
when they reached Level 2. In
addition to moving dental benefits up sooner, we also negotiated for other potential dental
benefit improvements.
WORKERS UNDER ATTACK Right-to-work
initiative comes to Oregon | Page 2
LOBBY DAY PHOTO PAGES | Pages 8-9
MEETING NOTICES – Page 15
The 2012 collective bargaining agreement governing our
Health Trust provided for dental
plan improvement in 2015, but
only if the plan was in good
enough financial shape to withstand the extra costs associated
with the improvement. I am
happy to say that the plan is in
good enough shape that we can
improve the benefits. Even better than that, the improvements
are significant and are already in
Turn to Page 16
OUR MISSION:
Providing leadership,
representation and
education to better
the lives of all
working people
PAGE 2 |
April 3, 2015 | UFCW LOCAL 555 LEADER/ NW Labor Press
Workers Under Attack (Again)
Washington County Attorney Jill Gibson filed the paperwork on four anti-worker ballot measures for 2016. This isn’t
her first rodeo. In 2013 she filed several anti-worker ballot
measures and now she is at it again. Her efforts, which were
largely funded by out-of-state donors, renew Bill Sizemore’s
attacks on Oregon’s workers. Last time, the Governor negotiated a deal to stop these destructive measures from appearing
on the ballot, but Gibson vowed to return. Sadly this paves the
way for the Koch brothers, and others of their ilk, to interfere
with Oregon Labor Law to destroy the rights of nurses, police,
firefighters, and other public employees.
This past month, Gibson made good on her promise by filing two separate measures that will strip firefighters, police officers, and nurses of current rights under the guise of helping
them.
UFCW needs to stand strong with our public servants to ensure that all workers have a fair shot at a good life. This means
protecting their right to have a strong union to help improve
working conditions, wages, and benefits. Oregon is a wonderful place that is worth fighting to preserve. The fight will be
tough though as corporations like Walmart, billionaires like the
Koch Brothers, and their minions like Bill Sizemore and Jill
Gibson use out-of-state money to transform Oregon into a billionaire’s paradise.
In the coming months we will have an opportunity to tell
out-of-state corporations, “KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OREGON.” Let’s say it together and say it loudly.
UFCW Members Help Launch
Groundbreaking Immigration Program
Members of Locals across the
country joined together with
hundreds of their UFCW brothers and sisters for two days in
Omaha, Neb. for a groundbreaking training session in
preparation for President
Obama’s executive action on
immigration, known as Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA).
This program helps immigrant members of our union
family take advantage of rapidly
changing federal immigration
policies that allow families to
stay together and be a stronger
part of our communities and
workplaces.
UFCW International President Marc Perrone called the
UFCW’s work on immigration
“the most important thing we
will do over the next decade.
Our union movement will be
stronger if we truly empower
our immigrant members with
programs like this.”
The program is unlike anything in the labor movement
and is the brainchild of UFCW
Executive Vice President and
Director of the Civil Rights and
Community Action Department
Esther López.
“We are uniquely positioned
to transform the lives of our
members and their families with
this work,” she said. “We need
to lean in. Tens of thousands of
families are counting on us and
by working together, we will
build a stronger UFCW in the
process.”
Participants took part in four
standing-room-only modules
focused on ensuring UFCW
members are first in line when
the application process for
DAPA officially opens.
“At UFCW, we unite to make
sure we all achieve the American dream together,” said Local
555 President Dan Clay. “Legal
protections for these families
are long overdue and we’re not
wasting another minute to make
sure that our members are able
to take advantage of this rapid
change in federal policies.”
UFCW members fought hard
across the country to make the
DAPA program a reality. This
included voting, lobbying for
better immigration policy, and
educating their friends and
neighbors about the vital voice
immigrant families play in our
industries and cities. This
change in policy is an achievement we all can be proud of,
and now we’re the first union to
ensure our members are able to
take advantage of our hard
work.
At Local 555, we hope to
bring this program to our members soon. Keep reading our
newspaper for more details. In
the meantime, you can learn
more at immigration. ufcw.org.
Scott Walker’s ‘freedom’ sham:
Legalized bribery, ALEC and an assault on workers
By Tyrone Sutton
When Governor Walker signed
the unfair “right to work” bill into
law he proclaimed, “Wisconsin
now has the freedom to work.”
When I heard that line, I
didn’t know whether to laugh or
cry. I wanted to laugh because I
knew he was wrong. I wanted to
cry because I knew this law was
going to make life more challenging for myself, my family,
and my friends.
I work at Fair Oaks Farms in
Kenosha and am a proud member
of United Food and Commercial
Workers Union (UFCW) Local
1473. Every few years my coworkers and I sit down with Fair
Oaks Farms and negotiate workplace rules, pay raises, health
care, and other terms of our employment. There are disagreements, but we have always managed to work out a fair deal.
This “right to work” law upends that entire process by giving
corporations all across Wisconsin
the right to divide workers. The
motivation to undermine worker
unity is simple — greed and profits. If the worker side of the bargaining table is weaker, then corporations won’t feel like they
have to pay them as much or pro-
vide them with as good benefits.
These aren’t just personal fears
of mine – they’re facts.
Study after study has shown
workers in “right to work” states
are poorer, sicker, less likely to
have retirement security, and are
more reliant upon government
programs like food stamps and
Medicaid.
That doesn’t sound like freedom to me. That sounds like a fiasco.
Most concerning of all, this
“right to work” law was pushed
through and bankrolled by an out
of state organization called the
American Legislative Exchange
Council (ALEC).
Here’s how ALEC works.
They bring corporations and state
legislators together at lavish conferences and wine and dine them
to their hearts content. In exchange for being given a ritzy vacation, state legislators are sent
home with model legislation
that’s written by the corporate attendees.
ALEC wrote the Wisconsin
right to work law. It’s legalized
bribery.
I understand the value of belonging to a union because I wasn’t always a part of one. My life
“As a worker at Fair Oaks
Farms in Kenosha, Wisconsin, I know first-hand
what Walker’s selling —
and it’s ugly.”
— Tyrone Sutton
Member
UFCW Local 1473
was pretty tough before I became
a UFCW member. I was always
finding myself in jobs with an unreliable schedule. As a result, the
only thing I could truly rely on
was my paycheck being too
small. I had no stability, no benefits, and no chance to get ahead.
When I started full time at Fair
Oaks Farms almost fouryears ago
I became a member of the UFCW
and my life improved dramatically.
I started having a fair schedule
that provided me with full-time
hours. There was health insurance
available for my family that I
could actually afford. Before the
UFCW I had no insurance at all.
I finally started earning enough
money that I could start saving for
my retirement and my son’s college education.
Most importantly, walking into
work every day filled me with
pride because I was providing my
family with a good life.
When working people are allowed to stick together in their
workplace and bargain for better
wages and benefits their employer
is much more likely to respect
their needs. That shouldn’t be too
much to ask.
This “right to work” law is an
attempt to hurt every worker in
Wisconsin. The politicians who
helped pass it are stripping us of
our stability because their corporate donors want to pay us all less
so they can make more profits.
It’s shameful and wrong.
Living with this unfair law will
not be easy, but if Wisconsin
workers stand shoulder to shoulder in their workplaces, we’ll still
be able to earn the hours and
wages that we deserve.
(This article originally appeared in Salon magazine.)
UNION CONTRACT
ENFORCEMENT THROUGH
MARCH 2015:
Grievances Filed: 98
Members Returned to Work: 50
Monies Recovered: $28,208.86
NW Labor Press/ UFCW LOCAL 555 LEADER | April 3, 2015 | PAGE 15
New Member Meeting: Orientation to th
he Union
UFCW Local 555 understands that for
o many people belong
ging to a union is a new experience. For this reason, we hold
d New Member Meetings every month to introduce you to
your union.
i
Attending
di this
thi meeting
ti will
ill giv
i e you some much-needed
o mati
tion about
es!”” and the benefits you receive fo
or being a member.
h
d d inf
i for
b t wha
h t it means to say “Union
“U i Ye
During the meeting you will receive a copy of your contract, along with other important info
ormation regarding mediccal and pension benefits. You
o will also have the opportunity
to ask questions and get inffor
o mation about the Northwest Community Credit Union.
For those who qualifyy, you will receive a one-time credit of up to $50 off your initiation fe
ee fo
or attending the meeting. Contact your Union Representative fo
or more inffor
o mation
on the next meeting in your area or call 1-800-452- UFCW. Yo
ou may also check the online calendar at www.ufc
. w555.o
orrg.
g
UFCW Local 555 April 2015 Quarterly
y Meeting
g Notices
Meeting Place
Date / Time
Meeting Place
Date / Time
Albany
Central Electrical TC
33309 Hwy 99E
Wednesday, April 22
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Newport
Hallmark Inn
744 SW Elizabeth Street
Wed., April 22
Quarterly: 7 pm
New Member: 6 pm
Astoria/Seaside
Labor Te
emple
926 Duane St
Wednesday, April 22
Quarterly: 6 pm
New Member: 5 pm
Pendleton
Red Lion
304 SE Nye Rd
Tuesday, April 7
Quarterly: 6 pm
New Member: 5:30 pm
Bend
Red Lion
1415 NE 3rd
Tuesday, April 14
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Portland - Clackamas
Denny ’s
15815 SE 82nd Drive
Wednesday, April 29
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Coos Bay
Labor Te
emple
3427 Ash St (North Bend)
Thur., April 9
Fri., April 10
New Member: 6 pm
Quarterly: 7 pm
New Member: 10 am
Quarterly: 9 am
Portland - Eastside
Te
eamsters Hall - Joe Edgar H
Hall
1850 NE 162nd
Wednesday, April 29
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Eugene/Springfield
Te
eamsters Hall
711 Shelley St (Springfield)
Tuesday, April 21
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Portland - Hillsboro
National Guard Armory
848 NE 28th
Wednesday, April 29
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Florence
Best Western Pier Point Inn
85625 Hwy 101
Thursday, April 23
Quarterly: 7 pm
New Member: 6 pm
Portland - North
TBA
Wednesday, April 29
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Grants Pass
LaQuinta Inn & Suites
243 NE Morgan Lane
Tue., April 7
Wed., April 8
New Member: 6 pm
Quarterly: 7 pm
Quarterly: 9 am
New Member: 10 am
Portland - Southeast
St. Philip Neri Parish - The Paaulist Center
2408 SE 16th Ave
Wednesday, April 29
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Hood River
See The Dalles
Portland - Tigard
UFCW Local 555
7095 SW Sandburg
Wednesday, April 29
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Klamath Falls
Woodworker ’s Hall
3836 Altamont Dr
Thurs., April 16
Fri., April 17
Thurs., April 9
New Member: 10 am
Quarterlyy: 9 am
Roseburg
Labor Temple
e
742 SE Roberts
Wed., April 8
New Member: 5:30pm
Quarterlyy: 6 p
pm
Quarterly: 7 pm
New Member: 6 pm
Quarterly: 9 am
New Member: 10 am
Wed., April 15
Thurs., April 16
New Member: 5:30pm
Quarterly: 6 pm
New Member: 10 am
Quarterly: 9 am
Salem
Salem Office
1655 Capitol St NE Suite 1
Thursday, April 23
Quarterly: 9 am & 7 pm
New Member: 10 am & 6 pm
Lakeview
TBA
Thurs., April 23
Quarterly: 9 am
New Member: 10am
Lincoln City
See Newport
St. Helens
Best Western Oak Meadows Inn
585 S Columbia River Hwy
Thursday, April 15
Quarterly: 6 pm
New Member: 5 pm
Longview
Columbia River Merc Bldg
1339 Commerce, Suite 311A
Thursday, April 16
Quarterly: 9 am & 6 pm
New Member: 10 am & 5 pm
The Dalles
Shari’s Restauranst
503 Mount Hood Street
Monday, April 6
Quarterly: 6 pm
New Member: 5:30 pm
Madras
Black Bear Diner
237 SW 4th St
Monday, April 13
New Member: 5:30pm
Quarterly: 6 pm
Tillamook
Ashley Inns
1722 Makinster Rd
Thursday, April 23
Quarterly: 6 pm
New Member: 5 pm
Medffo
ord
Labor Te
emple
4480 Rogue Valley Hwy #3
Mon., April 6
Tu
ues., April 7
New Member: 6 pm
Quarterly: 7 pm
Quarterly: 9 am
New Member: 10 am
Vancouver
Vancouver Office
20
8100 NE Parkway Dr. Suite 2
Tuesday, April 14
Quarterly: 9 am & 6 pm
New Member: 10 am & 5 pm
Newberg
Coff
ffe
ee Cottage
808 Hancock St
Thursday, April 30
Quarterly: 9 am & 6 pm
New Member: 10 am & 5 pm
Yo
ou can keep up-to-date on events by logging onto www.ufc
. w555.org and checkking the calendarr.
PAGE 16 |
April 3, , 2015 | UFCW LOCAL 555 LEADER/NW Labor Press
Clark County Sets Its Sights On Its Workers
JEFF ANDERSON
VANCOUVER, Wash. — The Clark
County Board of Commissioners will take
up two anti-worker resolutions April 7
aimed at gutting the strength of Clark
County’s public sector unions, public employee contracts, and making bargaining
future contracts much more difficult.
The Clark County Amalgamated Transit
Workers and the Washington Nurses raised
the alarm, as these resolutions will clearly
hurt their membership. Their members testified before the Commission against both
resolutions joined by representatives from
both the Southwest Washington Central
Labor Council and the Washington State
Labor Council.
These resolutions make it much more
difficult, if not impossible, for public sector workers to achieve strong contracts and
solidarity in the fight for better working
conditions. It isn’t right for local politicians to squash these worker’s right to
stick together. UFCW Local 555 recognizes that corporate politicians attacks on
public workers won’t end with public
workers; UFCW members are in danger as
well. We will be there to support our union
brothers & sisters and we will be there to
defend our own rights as well.
The Clark County Commission will
take up the resolutions onApril 7at6
p.m.at 1300 Franklin St., Vancouver, WA
on the 6thfloor.
Please join us by showing up, speaking
out, and standing strong against these unnecessary attacks.
UFCW members from Oregon will be
showing up in support of our brothers and
sisters across the river
Secretary-Treasurer
...UFCW Members See Significant Dental Improvements
From Page 1
place.
The changes to the benefit
structure are far too numerous to
list in my article, but I’ll give
you some examples of what
changed. Overall, our plan had
a yearly limit of $1,200 per person, which has increased 33% to
$1,600 per person effective Jan-
uary 1, 2015. Previously the
plan paid $124 for a 4 surface
permanent amalgam, but now
pays $288. If you have that procedure done, it potentially
means an extra $164 in your
pocket because of these
changes.
Previously the trust paid $440
for most crowns and that has
been increased to $595, which
could leave another $155 in
your pocket if you have that procedure done.
All in all, about 65 procedures were increased and, in
most cases, the increases were
significant.
Here are a few things you
must remember:
You can find a list of all the
changes below, or at www.
ufcw555.org/dentalim-provement.
Your dentist probably doesn’t
know about the changes yet, so
it makes sense for you to keep
an eye on your next few bills.
Even though the changes
were approved in early March,
the changes were effective January 1, 2015, so if you have had
dental work in 2015 the new
rates apply retroactively.
If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact the
UFCW Local 555-Employers
Health Trust at 800-654-4411.
PAGE 8 |
April 3, 2015 | UFCW LOCAL 555 LEADER/ NW Labor Press
“I am here today because I can
be! To be able to discuss, in
person, issues with our elected
representatives is an honor
and a responsibility. It is a fact
that many voices can make
changes. I want to always be a
part of those voices.”
Ellen Farkas Hudson – Fred Meyer
...LOBBY DAY
From Page 1
duty to communicate to our government to influence those decisions.”
The next Lobby Day in Salem is on May 12th. UFCW Local 555 is working
with our sister Locals 21 and 367 to set up a Lobby Day in Olympia. If you
are interested in attending either event, please contact your Union Representative.
This was UFCW Local 555’s third Lobby Day since Dan Clay and Jeff Anderson were elected to office. This important milestone shows our continuing
commitment to advancing the rights of our membership and all working people
using every avenue possible.
Traditionally, bargaining contracts with an employer is seen as the path to
ensure fair and equitable treatment for workers including health and welfare,
and retirement. Most UFCW members have sick pay already, but it is not usable till the third day off. When Oregon’s First Day Sick Pay law passes nearly
every worker in Oregon will accrue sick time allowing them to stay home
when they are sick or take care of a sick family member and UFCW members
will be able to use their sick pay on the first day. This is just one example of
how politics can work for workers if they come to the table.
“I enjoyed speaking with the Senators and Representatives in regards to the paid
sick days. I truly feel they now understand some of the financial and family issues
involved, and will continue to listen and take out concerns into consideration.”
Kathy Salles – Safeway
NW Labor Press/UFCW LOCAL 555 LEADER |
April 3, 2015 | PAGE 9
“This was my first Lobby Day that I was able to attend. I
found it very interesting and educational to be able to
hear the opinions and voices on the issues that our Union
is standing behind.”
Melody Gramley – Fred Meyer
“I believe in the rights
of the worker and
protection of your job
to ensure the safety
and happiness of
customers.”
Amber Hamilton – QFC
“I have thoroughly enjoyed each
opportunity I’ve been given to
come speak, face to face, with
the people who make the
decisions, the laws, that so
greatly impact us all. Getting to
know our representatives and
senators has been an invaluable
experience. I’ve never felt as
empowered as I am here with
my brothers and sisters in gold.”
Ky Gehring – Kaiser Permanente