In this age of AI and fake news, it can be a real challenge to find sources of information you can trust.
This applies to our working lives as much as it applies to politics. Whom should we trust in important matters relating to the workplace?
Is it your employer? The company that issues your paychecks is, most likely, a large corporation headed by a CEO and guided by a board of directors, both of whom are accountable to thousands of shareholders. For the most part, these shareholders are interested in just one thing: the largest possible return on their investments. If they aren’t satisfied by the size of their dividend checks or the resale price of the shares they own, they’ll hold the CEO responsible.
This is why the people who run corporations are always focused on the bottom line: How much profit can they make in order to make their shareholders happy?
To increase their profits, corporate managers are under pressure to reduce their expenses. Too often, this means squeezing their employees.
It’s a matter of basic economics. CEOs are driven to keep wages as low as possible. The same is true for other costs of worker compensation, including health and pension benefits.
They may say they care for you. They may even say they love you. But at the end of the day, all they really care about is the bottom line.
Your union, on the other hand, has only one priority: you.
The sole purpose of a union is to empower members to act collectively to negotiate with their employers for improved wages, benefits, safer working conditions and better workplace rights.
When working people come together, they make things better for themselves as well as their families and communities. The higher wages and benefits enjoyed by union members help drive prosperity in their towns and cities, sustaining small businesses and major corporations. They also make it possible for working people to pay taxes that support schools, police, fire personnel, road repair and other vital services.
All this is common knowledge for millions of union members from all walks of life. These individuals know that by speaking up together, they can accomplish more than they could on their own.
We don’t answer to the employers, their shareholders or the corporate bottom line. We answer to you and you alone.
It’s about unity
At press time our union is currently in negotiations for an improved master food contract. If you work in a supermarket, the agreement we ultimately will reach with the employers will determine your wages, benefits and workplace rules for years to come.
We all want a great contract to emerge from this process. But to make that happen, we all have to be on the same page.
We need to stand united in purpose and spirit. This is true for everyone in this union, no matter where they work, because a unified union is better equipped to bargain with strength in every situation.
What does standing united look like?
Standing united means keeping our communications tight. It means working hand in hand with your union representative to get the word out when the union has an important message to share. And when an employer tries to divide us with false and misleading information, you will recognize it for the propaganda it is.
Standing united means having all hands on deck. It means taking action to organize your store, signing up as many of your coworkers as possible to strengthen our power at the bargaining table. It means approaching even your most anti-union coworkers with compassion.
Standing united means holding the line when the pressure is on. And trust me, there will be pressure. There will be people telling you that the union isn’t doing enough or that your voice doesn’t matter. That the fight isn’t worth it or the process is rigged. But when that happens, remember that doubt and division can only undermine our progress if we let it.
Finally, standing united means showing up. Not just when it’s convenient, but whenever and wherever it counts. Because unity isn’t a moment, it’s a mindset. And we have to live it in every shift and in every break room conversation.
Especially in this day and age, it’s good to know you belong to an organization that represents you and serves you exclusively.
That organization is UFCW Local 99!
