To All UFCW Members U.S. & Canada: A Call To Action

Between the hours of booze and fine foods (paid for with members’ money), President Joseph T. Hansen made history by passing a staggering per capita tax on to the UFCW membership!

This increase is apparently to be $3.00 per Local union member per month during the next five years: $1.00 per member per month beginning in December 2008; another $1.00 in December 2010; and an additional $1.00 in December 2012. With a reported current membership of 1.3 million members, the UFCW International would collect an additional $15,600,000. in per capita tax from its Locals in the first year. Assuming a constant membership, the UFCW International will collect an additional $140 million by the end of this five-year period. And worse yet, by convention action locals can take an additional $1.00 each time with no vote by the members. If it is all taken, that would result in members paying an additional $6.00 per month for their union dues by the year 2012.

To add insult to injury when some rank and file members of the UFCW pensions have reached “Critical Status” See here: http://groceryworkers.org/sol-cal-pension-critical.pdf/download

Joe Hansen and a handful of insiders also reached an agreement that 40.% of these colossal dues increases will be used to beef up the already Cadillac pension and health and welfare plan currently enjoyed by UFCW officers and staffers! As you are aware, these two International Union Funds exist to benefit only the officers and employees of the UFCW, current and retired. These funds are not the funds which benefit working members - only officers and staff.

If 40. % is going to the IU Pension and H&W Funds, that 40.% translates into $56 million! What about the members pension and health and welfare funds? Why are our funds shrinking while the IU’s is bloating?

These are UFCW leaders who are or will be retiring drawing pensions between $150,000 to $200,000 per year! What will your pension and health and welfare look like when you retire?

Every single one of the 1.3 Million rank and file members of the UFCW in the U.S. and Canada should be OUTRAGED at this greed by the UFCW International Union!

At this time we are asking UFCW members, their families, labor activist and other supporters to join us in protesting this hoggish greed! Our goal is to flood the UFCW International office in Washington DC with letters, emails and phone calls voicing your disgust with president Hansen’s greed and the financial burden he will be enforcing on the UFCW membership.

FIRST! and most important! If you are a UFCW member in good standing it is most important that you send this attached letter to president Hansen by “certified mail” with a “signed returned receipt”

See letter here: http://groceryworkers.org/oink-letter-2.pdf/download

Also when signing your name to the letter make sure to add your mailing address under your signature so President Hansen can mail you his expeditious response. Creating the paper trail with this action is tremendously important!

You may be asking....how will sending this letter help? Imagine if 500 UFCW members sent this letter and President Joe Hansen has to respond to all 500! Now imagine if 5000 members sent this letter! Get the point?

If you would like to email President Hansen this letter or your thoughts you may contact him at: jhansen [at] ufcw.org or Jth0215 [at] ufcw.org

Here is all the contact info for the UFCW International Union:

United Food & Commercial Workers Union

1775 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006-1598
202.223.3111
202.466.1562 (fax)

You may also want to contact the UFCW I.U. Executive Committee and let them know your feelings and concerns. Their contact info is as follows:

UFCW International Executive Committee:

1. Joseph T. Hansen, International President.
jhansen [at] ufcw.org / Jth0215 [at] ufcw.org

2. Anthony M. Perrone, International Secretary Treasurer.
mperrone [at] ufcw.org

3. William T. McDonough, Executive V.P., Director, Collective Bargaining Dept.
wmcdonough [at] ufcw.org / bmcdonough [at] ufcw.org

4. Patrick J. O'Neil, Executive V.P., Director, Organizing Dept.
poneill [at] ufcw.org

5. Wayne E. Hanley, Executive V.P., National Director, UFCW Canada.
whanley [at] ufcw.ca / WayneH [at] ufcw.ca

NEXT and as equally important! Again for UFCW members in good standing we need to send the following letter by “certified mail” to our Local Union presidents.

See letter here: http://groceryworkers.org/oink-letter-1.pdf/download

The goal here is to flood the local unions with the letter demanding that the local presidents absorb the new per capita tax and not pass on to the membership!

Below are some email contacts for Northern California, Southern California and Canadian UFCW Local presidents. Please! Feel free to email these Local Union leaders with you concerns.


Contacts for Northern California UFCW Local Presidents:

1. Ron Lind, President UFCW Local 5.
rlind [at] ufcw5.org

2. Jacque Loveall, President UFCW Local 8.
Jacques [at] usa.net or leslie [at] ufcw8.org


3. Mike Borstel, President UFCW Local 101.
mborstel.local101 [at] unions.com


4. Michael Sharpe, President UFCW Local 648.
msharpe.local648 [at] unions.com


Contact info for Southern California UFCW Local presidents:

1. Mickey Kasparian, President UFCW Local 135.
mkasparian [at] ufcw135.com or mickeylocal135 [at] cox.net

2. Connie Leyva, President UFCW Local 1428.
cmleyva1428 [at] msn.com

3. Bill Lathrop, President UFCW Local 1167.
billlathrop [at] ufcw1167.org

4.Greg Conger, President UFCW Local 324.
greg.conger [at] ufcw324.org

5. Ricardo Icaza, President UFCW Local 770.
ricaza [at] ufcw770.org

6. Michael Straeter, President UFCW Local 1442
mstraeter [at] ufcw1442.org

7. UFCW Local 1036 — Trusteed by UFCW I.U./ Shaun Barclay, Director of Region 8 & UFCW I.U. International V.P. sbarclay [at] ufcw.org (person in charge)


Contacts for Canadian UFCW Local presidents:

Ivan Limpright, President UFCW Local 1518 (BC Canada)
IvanL [at] ufcw1518.com

Douglas O’Halloran, President UFCW Local 401 (Alberta Canada)
ufcw [at] ufcw401.ab.ca

Paul Meinema, President UFCW Local 1400 (Saskatchewan Canada)
ufcw [at] ufcw1400.ca

Robert Ziegler, President UFCW Local 832 (Manitoba Canada)
ufcw [at] ufcw832.com More contact info here: http://www.ufcw832.com/sub.php?id=12

FINALLY! For members that want to send a message to President Hansen but want to stay anonymous or family members, labor activist or any others who want to support this action to protest the greed by Joe Hansen and the UFCW International Union we have provided you with the following flyer that can be sent to President Hansen with your anonymous written comments.

See flyer: http://groceryworkers.org/oink-oink-oink.pdf/download

Please send flyer addressed to President Joseph T. Hansen:

United Food & Commercial Workers Union
1775 K Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20006-1598
or fax to 202.466.1562

If you are a rank and file member of the UFCW who is fed up with concessions, lack of union representation, abuse of dues money and the total disrespect given to members by the current leadership’s of the UFCW it’s a must that you participate in a least one(if not all) of these actions we have conveniently mapped out for you. The more letters President Hansen has to respond to the more your voices will be heard! It’s up to you now, the rank and file member to make the difference. Please forward this message on to other UFCW members or retirees you may know.

Of course if you are content with the status quo, them living large(on your dime) while you struggle to makes ends meet then we suggest you just do nothing.

We thank you for your solidarity and participation!