Take Action to Stand With UFCW Rank & File!
Two fellow workers, Iris Scott (UFCW Local 1459, River Valley Co-Op) and Kyong Barry (UFCW Local 3000, Albertsons) have stood up for our democratic rights to vote in our union by filing a lawsuit for fair representation in our International Union elections.
Instead of being listened to, these rank-and-file members are being stomped on by the union that is supposed to be protecting us.
We’re making sure our union officials hear us loud and clear: You work for the rank-and-file. Bullying and intimidation of union members will not be tolerated.
Dear union family,
Recently, 44 UFCW local union presidents got together and penned a letter making ridiculous claims about Essential Workers for Democracy, calling out by name our rank-and-file union sibling Kyong Barry, serving as a plaintiff alongside Iris Scott in a lawsuit we are pursuing to win fair representation in our International Union elections.
We know the true aim of this letter. It is to intimidate supporters, discourage discussion, and discredit our organization. In response, we’ve laid out our rank-and-file perspective and rebuked this nonsense.
But that’s not all. We’ve also put forward a constructive vision for a union and a labor movement that can meet this once-in-a-lifetime moment of workers unhappy with the status quo. We’re calling on the international union to commit to:
Union democracy, so all rank-and-file members have the right to vote on the top officers of our union.
Commitment to organizing, so our union can grow stronger and bigger.
One national bargaining table for grocery workers to win the contracts we deserve together, without tiers or give-backs.
Strike readiness with higher strike pay for workers.
Now, more than ever, we need your support. We ask you to stand with us in our mission and in defense of our brave siblings, Iris and Kyong. They have courageously stepped forward to defend a belief that is self-evident to all of us, yet somehow lost on these 44 Local officers: workers should have a decisive say in their unions.
In solidarity and struggle,
Isaac Soto, Shop Steward, UFCW Local 99, Fry’s Food Stores
Heather Clark, UFCW Local 328 , Stop & Shop
Vincent Joseph Chairez, UFCW Local 324, CVS
