For Immediate Release:
October 30, 2025
Contact: Drake Ridge, UFCW Local 99, (480) 286-2726
Phoenix, AZ – In response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s recent announcement that Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments will not be issued to millions of Americans on November 1st, United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 99 President Jim McLaughlin released the following statement:
“We are concerned by the Department of Agriculture’s refusal to release critical emergency funds to keep Arizona families and children from going hungry. If the USDA fails to issue at least partial payments next month, there will be a catastrophic ripple effect across Arizona’s food web.
Arizona’s traditional grocery stores like Fry’s and Safeway could be impacted by $124 million in November alone meaning fewer hours for employees, affecting the paychecks of essential union workers who keep our communities strong.
UFCW members work every day to keep food on the table in households across the country. We expect the federal government to do the same. To ensure that Arizona families don’t go hungry, UFCW Local 99 is working in partnership with our international union and UFCW local unions nationwide to urge the United States Senate to direct the USDA to release emergency funds immediately.”
UFCW 99 is Arizona’s largest private-sector union, representing 25,000 essential workers at Fry’s, Safeway, JBS and many other employers throughout the Southwest. There are over 1.3 million UFCW members nationwide.
