Kroger Employees in Colorado Have Had Enough — Thousands Are Now on Strike
Jacobin
It was clear to us in the Justice@Smithfield campaign that you could not win relying solely on worker meetings and house visits or relying on solidarity in the community. We had to had to build visible activity inside the plant. Having workers see one another in collective action, not being fired and even winning things is how the union takes on a living presence.
Phillips Seafood is a Baltimore-based company famous for its crabs. Global and US unions want to make it infamous for its treatment of low-paid women workers. Phillips moved its Indonesian production from urban to rural mini-plants in order to inhibit access to labor law protections and unionization efforts. Closer to home, the company is a major opponent of attempts to raise the minimum wage.
To regain lost wages and benefits, UFCW Local 400 used political power, working with union, community, and faith allies to win minimum wage increases and paid sick days in much of the area the union represents. The local also mobilized its membership. Conferences that brought together nearly 300 Safeway and Giant stewards were followed by mass meetings and in-store action teams. The result was a victory and a commitment to keep up the pressure.
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