Stewards Fortify Value and Values of Our Union

Our Union completed a series of workshops for Stewards across the length and breadth of our jurisdiction, from Redding in the north to Bakersfield in the south and from Santa Rosa near the coast to Lake Tahoe at the Nevada border.

It’s always productive and informative to meet with so many of our key UFCW 8-Golden State activists. We were inspired by the stories they shared of coworkers who were helped through personal struggles and workplace-related problems by their Union.

At the same time, the Stewards were given a thorough update on the extraordinary value of Union membership, which delivers not only higher wages, but also superior health care, retirement security through defined benefit pensions (increasingly rare in today’s world), vacations, sick leave, workplace protections and a host of other benefits.

After adding up the economic value of these benefits, we find the price of Union membership to be one of the greatest bargains we’ll encounter in our lifetimes. In fact, the ratio of value to cost is about 100 to 1!

In the Summer 2017 issue of Voice of Action and in other Union communications, we’ll share with you some of the information we provided to the Stewards as well as some of the touching stories they shared with us.

In a time of deep divisions among people in our country and around the world, it is comforting to meet so many good people who live in the spirit of unity, of brotherhood and sisterhood.

When so many are focused on tearing others down to build themselves up, we as Union members dedicate ourselves to creating a world in which all of our fellow human beings can lift their heads toward a brighter future.

Our Stewards exemplify these Union values. They are selfless people who volunteer their time and energies to helping their coworkers get more and keep more for themselves and their loved ones.
Through their dedication, these UFCW 8 Stewards are critical to our Union’s success as we serve the needs and aspirations of 35,000 members across thousands of square miles.

We are proud of our full-time staff of approximately 100 District Union Representatives, office staff and support personnel, but we can’t do the job all by ourselves. Our Stewards assist every day by acting as the eyes, ears, heart and soul of UFCW 8-Golden State.

Together, we commit ourselves to protecting and strengthening the value and values of our Union.

Solidarity Works!