Raising the Bar for Grocery Workers
By: Jim McLaughlin

In the sports world of high-jumping and pole-vaulting, “raising the bar” has a literal meaning. It means that the hurdle an athlete must clear — a metal bar that extends between two posts — is being lifted to a higher notch. The athlete is committed to jumping or vaulting higher than before.

For the rest of us, “raising the bar” means setting a higher standard for whatever task awaits us. It is a metaphor that is especially appropriate for UFCW Local 99 at this moment in our history.

Our union is “raising the bar” for grocery workers. The old standards for wages, benefits and workplace protections aren’t good enough. We want — we demand — more.

Why do we want more?

Look around you. Some of us are already paying $4 for a gallon of gas. Food prices are going up, too. These factors alone can threaten the quality of living for our members, who already have enough trouble paying their bills.

Your union is here to speak for you, to fight for your interests. And that is what we will do, as we have always done.

We have our major food industry negotiations ahead of us this year. It will be an epic campaign to “raise the bar.” In conjunction with these upcoming negotiations, we are engaged in a multifaceted campaign to protect and enlarge our union market share, which will ensure our ability to negotiate the next contract from a position of strength.

Our campaign has four key elements:

The Bashas’ organizing campaign: Bringing Bashas’ employees into the union will improve their living standards and create a ripple effect for the benefit of all workers in Arizona. Most significantly for our members, it will solidify our gains by leveling the playing field.

The Tesco campaign: Britain’s huge Tesco corporation continues to threaten union market share in the United States. While we have achieved some success in blunting Tesco’s invasion of non-union Fresh & Easy stores (see article below), nobody is expecting this immensely wealthy company to cut and run in the near future. Our goal is to ensure Tesco workers in the United States have the same rights and dignity on the job here, as they do in the United Kingdom.

Our ongoing campaign against Wal-Mart to protect our communities from its exploitive practices. We fight Wal-Mart on a regular basis on the local, state and national levels.

Fixing America’s damaged labor laws: Most American workers want to be in a union, but too many employers are getting away with illegal tactics that frustrate the aspirations of their employees. These tactics include firing pro-union workers, threats and other acts of coercion and intimidation. America must fix the legal system to restore the balance of power between workers and the corporations that employ them. Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is crucial, but it won’t happen until a pro-worker president is elected and a stronger pro-worker majority is sent to Congress.

Here’s what you can do to protect what you have and help us raise the bar for the future:

Get behind your union!

Volunteer for our organizing campaigns. Show your union pride at work. Educate your coworkers about the importance of joining UFCW Local 99. Sign-up the non-members. Talk about your union to your friends, neighbors, relatives and everyone else who will listen. Make sure you’re registered to vote and join us in helping elect pro-union candidates to public office.

The bar needs to be raised. It’s your job to help raise the bar by escalating your level of commitment to your union.