Our problem is clear. Our solution attainable. But not without the help of Local 655’s members.

The problem: We need to be able to negotiate stronger contracts for our members.
The solution: Union Density!

At our recent monthly meetings and at our Shop Stewards Seminar, the message was quite simple:
In order to negotiate strong contracts in the future, we need to grow our Union Density.
Why? The larger the percentage of organized workers in an industry, the stronger the contracts we can win for our current members. If we have 85% of an industry organized and members of our union, at negotiating time we have a LOT of strength. If we only have a small portion of that industry organized, we are negotiating from a position of weakness!

PEOPLE DON’T KNOW US – YET

The problem is intensified by the simple truth that a large portion of the workers in our area do not know they have an option to improve their job! If a worker is not knowledgeable about their ability to form a Union at their current job, or they don’t know how to contact a Union, they simply quit when they are unhappy.  That is a tragedy, for them, and for us because it’s a lost organizing opportunity.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

How can you help us take advantage of that kind of opportunity? That is the easy part, there are several ways.
First and foremost, when the topic of your wages and benefits comes up in conversation with your friends, neighbors, etc., do you make the typical comment: “Yes I work at ABC Market, they give me the wages I earn.”
I believe the proper answer should be, “Yes I am a member of UFCW Local 655. My union negotiates my wages and benefits for me.”
You see, at first when you tell an unorganized worker where you work, their first reaction is that in order to get those types of benefits or wages, they need to change jobs, work where you work. We know that our current employers only need so many employees, so that is not the solution.
The reality is that if they know that you receive your wages and benefits because of your Union, and you make that point to them, they will translate that into joining the Union to receive those wages and benefits.
That is the simple message you can spread to help us help you.
Second, although we have recently revamped our Organizing Department and we are busy spreading the word about the benefits of belonging to our Union, we only have 13 full-time staff.

WE NEED YOU

We cannot do this on our own; we need your help.
Think about the difference it can make if we have our members become our face-to-face, word of mouth sales force? And we all know that when it’s a friend that tells us something, it’s much more believable than any other source.
With 11,000 members helping us spread the word, the sky is the limit on the growth we can attain. And as we grow, as we gain Density in our key markets, we are in a much stronger position to negotiate contracts with better wages and benefits for all levels of our membership.
So Brothers and Sisters, here’s the challenge: We need you to become loud and proud about your Union!
When you talk about your wages, benefits, etc., we need you to state proudly that the reason you have these benefits is because of your Union. This is one small, but very, very important way each of you can help Local 655 grow bigger and stronger. Join the movement and be UNION STRONG!

HOW TO GET BETTER CONTRACTS?

For years members have asked the question, “What can we do to get a better contract?”
The answer is simple and straightforward: We must grow our Union Density in order to negotiate stronger contracts.
I am a realist. I know that not every member will change the way they speak about our Union. However, if we can get a reasonable percentage of our members to realize that as we grow our Union we grow our strength for winning better contracts, we can have an army of spokespeople working together for their own personal betterment.
That is truly why Unions were formed to begin with — individuals working together for each other’s personal betterment.
Join me today and commit to becoming Union/UFCW Local 655 Proud. I am confident that if we work together, we can achieve greatness.

Are you up to the challenge?