Unions share strengths and ideas at Food & Drug Council convention

As they prepared to enter contract negotiations later this year, supermarket workers in California received strong pledges of support from Union allies attending the Food & Drug Council’s annual convention in December.

The FDC delegates met to share ideas and coordinate strategies on behalf of workers in the food and drug industries.

In his remarks, UFCW 8-Golden State President Jacques Loveall empha sized that the FDC helps working people stake their claim on the wealth that they create.

“We need to build strong coalitions both inside and beyond the labor movement,” he said. Loveall also discussed the restrictions imposed by the Pension

UFCW 8 President Jacques Loveall addresses delegates at the Food & Drug Council convention.

Protection Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act on Union benefit funds (see page 3). Both laws need to be radically reformed or repealed, he said.

“The PPA forces unnecessary confrontations between management and employees,” he said. “It’s forcing us from defined-benefit to defined contribution pension plans. It’s a direct assault on the fundamentals we stand for.”

FDC President Paul A. Kenny, who also serves as secretary treasurer of Teamsters Local 630, described how Teamsters came to the aid of UFCW members during the 2003-2004 supermarket strike and lockout in Southern California.

Kenny pledged that the spirit of Union solidarity would continue this year.

“We know your negotiations are coming up, and we will support you,”

Kenny told the UFCW delegates from California. “We’re ready to stand alongside you.”

At a time when Unions are confronting challenges in organizing, collective bargaining and market share, the FDC has been experiencing rapid growth in size and influence.

The coalition now includes 45 local and regional labor organizations based in nine states. Among these organizations is UFCW 8-Golden State.

FDC affiliates represent more than 375,000 members of the UFCW, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, the International Association of Machinists and Aero - space Workers, the International Union of Operating Engineers, the