Labor Notes: Strikes And A Boycott Win A Better Deal from Macy’s

UFCW 3000, one of the biggest proponents of true democracy within union elections, just won a major victory. After nearly a year of battling it out with Macy's at the negotiation table, their membership decided to mobilize for ULP Strikes, media outreach, and even a boycott. All this after a big launch that showcased the union's creativity. They held a Striking Worker's Parade, playing off of the infamous Macy's parades. When workers think of fun, engaging, creative ways to mobilize, it's usually successful. But beyond a surprise strike, the Local also advocates for reform.

From Lisa Xu:

Local 3000 is the largest local in the UFCW with 50,000 members in grocery, retail, and health care. It has been the most prominent local advocating reform of the union, backing the campaign by Essential Workers for Democracy (EW4D) for direct elections of top international leadership (“one member, one vote”) and coordinated bargaining for employers such as Kroger across hundreds of different contracts.

At the UFCW International Convention in 2023, EW4D succeeded in making strike pay start accruing on day eight rather than day 15. They weren’t able to win strike pay calculated from day one, as reformers did recently in the Auto Workers and the Teamsters.

Reform-minded leaders had also tried to coordinate organizing and bargaining among all the UFCW locals representing Macy’s workers, but these plans were scuttled by the international union, according to a supporter of EW4D familiar with the efforts.