As many of you know, UFCW Local 135 reached a tentative agreement with Food 4 Less on a contract for its members. This highlights one of the countless reasons that turned me to organized labor from a young age, a real sense of possibility. This is a win for EVERYONE in our community. When people unite, gains are made! People shouldnt have to work countless jobs to pay rent or put food on the table, children shouldnt go hungry at night or stay home alone, because their parents cannot afford child care. Like many of you, I too grew up in a poverty stricken environment and I will never forget the struggles along with watching my mother hold two jobs for much of my childhood as she needed to put food on the table to raise my older brother and I. I try not to think about those hard times, but our victory today took me back several years. I stood beside my mother at a grocery store one morning in LA, back in the early 90s, and tried not to look sad as my mother removed a cereal box and milk from the checkout line because we couldnt afford it. I clearly remember, as we were walking out-a woman whom identified herself as a union member handed my mother a grocery bag which contained the cereal. Might not seem like a big deal to most, but I can still see the tears streaming down mothers cheeks. At my tender age, I couldnt quite figure out why she was crying or hugging a woman we had never met, but it would forever change my life. Im 28, that was 20 years ago. My life is not unique, children continue to suffer as wages continue to erode. Therefore, as long as there is upward mobility (organized labor) in our society, people will prosper, and thus the economy will thrive. Brothers and sisters, lets stand together in solidarity with workers EVERYWHERE. We shall not forget or lose sight of this ongoing struggle to ensure fair and equal workers rights. Over the past several months, I have come across many a people which have brought to life the human side of this struggle, and I feel privileged to be surrounded by compassionate and empathetic people that genuinely care about humanity and workers rights. Food 4 Less and Kroger failed at creating disunity amongst members. Furthermore, they unsuccessfully attempted to use their power to manipulate public opinion, and thus they couldnt see the forest for the trees, and didnt realize their employees were willing and ready to strike. This is what happens when we unite! Mickey Kasparian, thank you for working tirelessly to ensure that the members got a fair contract. You always put the workers first, and it doesnt go unnoticed. This was a community effort, and a big thank you to the dedicated UFCW Local 135 members/staff, SEIU Local 221 (proud member), other unions, activists, and members of the community who came together in solidarity of the workers. You all helped bring this victory to fruition. Humbly yours, Melody
Posted on: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 08:45:59 +0000
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