Meet Naomi Oligario, UFCW 3000 Delegate to the 2023 UFCW International Convention

Naomi Oligario, one of your UFCW 3000 delegates to the 2023 UFCW International Convention

Every 5 years, the UFCW International Union holds a convention where union leaders from across the country meet to discuss the future of our union and help set its direction for growth. The 2023 UFCW International Convention will be held in Las Vegas, beginning today, Monday, April 24, 2023 and concluding Friday, April 28, 2023, or until all business is completed and the Convention is adjourned.

Naomi Oligario is an elected delegate to this convention and believes the UFCW International Union must be accountable to its membership and build real power for workers in all essential industries, including grocery, retail, cannabis, packing and processing, and healthcare. The purpose of any union is to build collective worker power to improve safety, wages, and working conditions, and amplify the voices of workers in their workplaces and communities. As a rank-&-file member, she knows how important this fight is.

Naomi Oligario has worked at Port Orchard Safeway for over 37 years! She started as a courtesy clerk before working her way up to produce & front end. Throughout the years, she has trained countless other grocery store workers, all while getting to know customers as they’ve grown up and built families of their own. Naomi is a respected workplace leader, which is why she ran on a slate of candidates from our local committed to fighting for a better UFCW!

UFCW International has decreased spending on critical organizing campaigns and discouraged coordination on our most important bargaining campaigns. This, combined with a large amount of investment in the stock market has been one of the factors that have contributed to the shrinking number of members in the UFCW year after year. This is why our delegation is proposing a set of reforms to invest in organizing, coordinating bargaining with national employers, and modernizing strike authorization so that bureaucracy doesn’t prevent workers from holding their employers accountable at the bargaining table.

Our delegation believes the UFCW must change in five fundamental ways: 

1. UFCW members must have a democratic voice in their International Union.

2. UFCW must be a powerhouse union that fights for all essential workers. 

3. UFCW must prioritize new organizing and invest in organizing campaigns, organizers, and new winning strategies.

4. UFCW must commit to coordinated bargaining across the USA and Canada.

5. UFCW must engage in strategic planning to counter corporate power and meet the challenges that face our movement and our democracy.

“We believe that union leadership should be accountable to the membership – the only way for that to happen is to have leadership be democratically elected from members themselves. We do this as a local union and our democratically elected executive board of over 40 members who work in our diverse industries is part of what makes us strong. We believe that the same should be the case for the UFCW International. The International should be held to the same democratic standard as we are at the local.” – Naomi Oligario, Port Orchard, Safeway, and Ana Alverez, Grandview, Washington Beef

UFCW 21 Member Story: Angel Stone, Meat Cutter Extraordinaire

Angel Stone, Meat Cutter, QFC #827

This week, our #MemberMonday spotlight is on Angel Stone, Meat Cutter at QFC #827!

When Angel decided to train to become a Meat Cutter, she was a newly single mom of two kids and was looking for an opportunity to provide for her family while doing something she genuinely felt good about.

Angel says that, while it was a challenge to learn a trade like meat cutting while going through a divorce, the classes made her feel like she was part of a community. Becoming a Meat Cutter helped Angel become a leader in her workplace, all while being able to provide for herself and her two kids. After her training was over, she was able to step quickly into the work and now has a skill that she is able to take with her wherever she goes!

In Angel’s words, becoming a Meat Cutter “gave me a sense of stability and assurance knowing that I would always be able to provide for my family.”

Angel — we are so glad that you are a Meat Cutter, a leader in your workplace, a proud member of UFCW 21, and provider for your family. Happy holidays!

If you’d like to learn more about the UFCW 21 Meat Cutters Apprenticeship Program, check out: https://www.ufcw21.org/meat

#UnionStrong #RespectProtectPay #EssentialWorkers #MeatCutter #UFCW

2022 Grocery Store Worker Negotiations Kick-Off Telephone Town Hall Call

Join the 2022 Grocery Store Worker Negotiations Kick Off Telephone Town Hall Call

On Monday, November 8 @ 7PM, we’ll call you!

If you get disconnected or want to to join the call dial 1-866-304-0619 and enter Meeting ID 6395. Keep your personal contact information up-to-date with our union and make sure you know your rights and receive important bargaining updates.

On the Call we will discuss the negotiation process, how members can get involved, our unity work with other locals across the region - over 100,000 grocery store workers strong, and answer questions from members!

This year, we bring our Grocery Store Negotiations Kick-Off to each of our 200+ union stores as part of our strategy to get as many members involved, informed, and activated as possible! 

Grocery Store Workers have continued to show up for our customers and communities through some of the hardest conditions and circumstances imaginable. It’s time to celebrate our dedication to each other and kick-off this negotiation cycle united and strong! Look out for fellow union members, leaders, and Reps handing out buttons, union swag, bargaining information, and taking pictures in workplaces the week of November 8-12. It’s time for our employers to Respect, Protect, and Pay essential grocery store workers! 

Prepared & Ready

Preparations for next year’s contract negotiations start now. Union grocery store workers are more involved and active than ever before as we partner with Teamsters Local 38 here in Washington and other UFCW locals across the Western U.S. Together we are the power of over 100,000 grocery store workers.