Essential Voice: News for Essential Workers - Issue #5, Winter 2026
Essential Voice is EW4D’s print newsletter, designed to be shared with your coworkers to start conversations about issues at work and what you can do to fix them together. This is our fifth issue.
In This Issue:
💥 Track the Major UFCW Grocery Contract Fights of 2026
🍁 In Winnipeg, Maple Leaf Meatpackers Stand Up to Intimidation
💰 Kroger Spends $2 Billion on Stock Buyback
💪 Organizing Your Own March on the Boss
...and more!
How to Get Essential Voice
1. Order a bundle from EW4D. Just pay a small, flat fee for shipping, and we’ll mail you a stack of professional, union-printed newspapers to hand out at work. You can order a standalone bundle, or become a quarterly subscriber. Please note: bundles are in black and white.
2. Print at home by clicking here. Download the PDF, then print using any printer at your house or your local union printshop. Make sure you have your printer settings to “Portrait” and “Print Double-sided”. Staple the pages together along the left-hand side.
How to Distribute Essential Voice
Have conversations. Essential Voice is meant to be a conversation starter. When you ask your coworkers if they’d like a paper, take some time to ask them if they’ve heard of Essential Workers for Democracy. Tell them about how and why you decided to get involved. Ask if they’re interested in getting more involved, too.
Make a plan to share with coworkers ahead of time. It’s great if you can get Essential Voice in the hands of everyone. But if you have limited time (or limited ink!) pick 5 to 10 coworkers who you’ve seen be active in the union or standing up for others at work. You might want to give a copy to your steward, or the person who’s always getting coworkers together for drinks after work.
Distribute during non-work time, in non-work areas. It’s your legal right to distribute these papers at work. Both the company and the union can’t stop you. But be smart — make sure you hand them out when you’re off the clock, and in areas like the break room or the parking lot.
Follow up. A week or so after you first hand a copy of Essential Voice to a coworker, follow up with them to ask what they thought. Do they have questions? Are they interested in getting involved? Consider inviting them to a Zoom training, and get in touch with an EW4D organizer.
