u/Routine_Bug9290

I'm currently employed at an Albertsons that isn't unionized how does one or many unionize a store?

If you're a Union CVS worker in: Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, Humboldt County or Crescent City - AND you have been a dues-paying member of the Union for at least 1 year (since before last August)

Then Congratulations: you are eligible to stand as a candidate in our Union's Officer elections this September-November!

These Officer positions collectively make up the Union Executive Board (AKA the E-Board) which governs the Local Union and approves or rejects the spending of the Union. They all also have the right to propose changes to the Union's Bylaws (Constitution) and make motions for policy generally.

The 31 members of the Executive Board are the:

President -No.1, Full-time job, Veto Power, Power of the Purse, Commander-in-Chief

Secretary-Treasurer -No.2, Full-time job, Does some of the Presidents jobs, typically manages the finances

Recorder - No.3, A backup, Records transcripts of all official meetings, Has a main rep/staff job already

The Big 3 positions require a petition with about 460 supporters names to even qualify, and the incumbents will fight like hell, so unless you're Union Moses you're better off skipping these. The Recorder isn't paid extra for their duties, but with the President and Secretary-Treasurer you are putting them out of a job if you win, so they'll spend a lot of money to beat you, and the staff will help them, it's like running for Mayor.

(28) Vice Presidents (Made up of 50% Union Reps and Staff / 50% Union Workers)

Vice Presidents (AKA VPs) all have equal voting power, but are numbered #1 through #28 for election purposes to represent a given geographic area (see attached image for the list). They require no election petition and no signature petition to qualify. Confusingly, they are the equivalent of a congress position, they do not have anything in common with the Vice Presidents in the US government.

In order to run for a VP seat you only need to show up to one of these upcoming meetings (listed in the attached image) and nominate yourself, or be nominated by another member, for a SPECIFIC numbered VP post that corresponds to the Region you work in. You then have to sign a form accepting the nomination, and then you are confirmed as a candidate.

Example: "I Nominate John Pork for VP spot #17" (John Pork Works at CVS in Santa Clara County)

Now to be clear, these VP positions are split 50/50 Staff and Workers not because they want to make sure workers have an equal voice, but because it would be a violation of our Union's Constitution and they would get in legal trouble. There's no rule against it being majority or entirely worker run. Staff don't lose their real jobs if they lose a Recorder or VP election, they just lose their voting seat on the Board.

Nomination Meetings for VPs will occur at 9 AM sharp and 7PM sharp at the addresses listed below for all except Scott's Valley and the Central Valley Meetings.
If you are late, you will probably miss the meeting. It consists of a short roll call formality and then an open floor for nominations, then the meeting may be adjourned if no one is present. Plan ahead and arrive early. You can be nominated at ANY of these meetings regardless of where they occur so long as you are nominated for a valid VP# from the region you're employed in.

This was pulled from the UFCW 5 Newsletter available on the UFCW5 website.
All members should have received a physical copy of the newsletter, if you didn't you might want to call the union office and change your address to make sure it's correct -or you will not receive your ballot in September when the Election begins in earnest.

CVS Workers are not particularly well represented in our union leadership, but we have joint bargaining with the UFCW across the state. We could have serious pressure on CVS but I feel like we lack a good connection with the stores and representation at the meetings here in NorCal, I don't think CVS is scared of us. But they should be! It's going to be up to some of us workers to try and change that this next contract negotiation- to start getting organized and getting involved in the Executive board!

https://preview.redd.it/3pbrsbhs54eh1.png?width=652&format=png&auto=webp&s=53a7742d173da11fec13dc19be8979fec565d2dd

Interested in running? Email youfcw@gmail -we can run as a team!

Edit: I am NOT union staff this is NOT an official message from the union- because lets be real, they would rather that people didn't know they had a right to run for office and vote for your officers, for them that's job security.

Did you know you have rights? Your Union Constitution says you do!

If you're a Union Safeway worker in: Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Solano, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, Humboldt County or Crescent City - AND you have been a dues-paying member of the Union for at least 1 year (since before last August)

Then Congratulations: you are eligible to stand as a candidate in our Union's Officer elections this September-November!

These Officer positions collectively make up the Union Executive Board (AKA the E-Board) which governs the Local Union and approves or rejects the spending of the Union. They all also have the right to propose changes to the Union's Bylaws (Constitution) and make motions for policy generally.

The 31 members of the Executive Board are the:

President -No.1, Full-time job, Veto Power, Power of the Purse, Commander-in-Chief

Secretary-Treasurer -No.2, Full-time job, Does some of the Presidents jobs, typically manages the finances

Recorder - No.3, A backup, Records transcripts of all official meetings, Has a main rep/staff job already

The Big 3 positions require a petition with about 460 supporters names to even qualify, and the incumbents will fight like hell, so unless you're Union Moses you're better off skipping these. The Recorder isn't paid extra for their duties, but with the President and Secretary-Treasurer you are putting them out of a job if you win, so they'll spend a lot of money to beat you, and the staff will help them, it's like running for Mayor.

(28) Vice Presidents (Made up of 50% Union Reps and Staff / 50% Union Workers)

Vice Presidents (AKA VPs) all have equal voting power, but are numbered #1 through #28 for election purposes to represent a given geographic area (see attached image for the list). They require no election petition and no signature petition to qualify. Confusingly, they are the equivalent of a congress position, they do not have anything in common with the Vice Presidents in the US government.

In order to run for a VP seat you only need to show up to one of these upcoming meetings (listed in the attached image) and nominate yourself, or be nominated by another member, for a SPECIFIC numbered VP post that corresponds to the Region you work in. You then have to sign a form accepting the nomination, and then you are confirmed as a candidate.

Example: "I Nominate John Pork for VP spot #17" (John Pork Works at Safeway in Santa Clara County)

Now to be clear, these VP positions are split 50/50 Staff and Workers not because they want to make sure workers have an equal voice, but because it would be a violation of our Union's Constitution and they would get in legal trouble. There's no rule against it being majority or entirely worker run. Staff don't lose their real jobs if they lose a Recorder or VP election, they just lose their voting seat on the Board.

Why do I care?

I am making this announcement on behalf of us Union Safeway Workers, because I believe through poor communication of our democratic right to run in and vote for our Union leadership, and by instead having staff hand-pick workers to fulfill their minimum quota of 50% - our union has very effectively prevented dissenting voices from ever getting to the Board. What should be a respected leadership position that is filled by a member that is in touch with and is supported by fellow workers has become a privilege doled out to those closest and most privy to staff. They have, intentionally or not, turned what should be a worker's organization into a clubhouse. And I believe the only way to fix this it to organize, force an election, and demand better for all of us! We have a significant portion of Safeway workers with Southern California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado. We're all in the same union, why aren't we acting like it?

I don't have anything personal against most people currently sitting on the Board - but they have had their chance to open bargaining, to allow for meetings that aren't just a rushed zoom call, to encourage participation, and not just to act as a rubber stamp for ideas from the top-down, and I've seen the real world consequences of their slow response to the crisis level of exploitation and poverty that exists on the shop floor. It's costing them dearly by disillusioning and confusing this next new generation of workers and creating anti-union sentiment amongst their own members, its like a form of brain drain. When our members aren't encouraged to participate in their own grievance procedures, contract bargaining, and leadership the Union Staff can't act surprised when workers 3rd party the union and distance themselves from it.

So if you're not satisfied with the lack of transparency about our contract negotiation, if you want this Union to be a WORKER'S organization and not an HR firm, if you want to hold Safeway accountable for those mile long lines, if you want a Fighting Union that puts corporate in their place- I urge you, go to that nomination meeting and stand in that election, even if it's only in protest!

Remind the leadership- WE ARE THE UNION!

Any Interested Safeway Candidates email: youfcw@gmail to unite our efforts!

https://preview.redd.it/sx60klq5v2eh1.png?width=652&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ee624123ab4d138430bd5bdd6de46760e86dba3

Nomination Meetings for VPs will occur at 9 AM sharp and 7PM sharp at the addresses listed below for all except Scott's Valley and the Central Valley Meetings.
If you are late, you will probably miss the meeting. It consists of a short roll call formality and then an open floor for nominations, then the meeting may be adjourned if no one is present. Plan ahead and arrive early. You can be nominated at ANY of these meetings regardless of where they occur so long as you are nominated for a valid VP# from the region you're employed in.

This was pulled from the UFCW 5 Newsletter available on the UFCW5 website.
All members should have received a physical copy of the newsletter, if you didn't you might want to call the union office and change your address to make sure it's correct -or you will not receive your ballot in September when the Election begins in earnest.

I’ve been a part of the DUG team for a year now and I took the job by choice. I have two decades of HR under my belt, husband and I moved for his job and I wanted a job that didn’t require me to hold people accountable. I wanted to just do my thing. I’ve always been a hard worker but working in DUG is absolutely horrible because of how we’re treated and the ridiculous expectations powered by metrics. God forbid anybody stop and ask us a question because that’s gonna slow us down. If you don’t know how to use the app, please keep going and do not ask a DUG associate because we’re being timed. Please don’t bother me with the recipe you’re working on and where to find everything because I’m being timed. My customer service has gone out the door and we’re forced to keep our head down and likely the rudest people around because we’re being timed. I bitch about my job every single day but if I don’t bitch, I’ll hold it in.

Hi, I have been working at Safeway for four years now. When I was first hired, I worked in the GM department with a schedule I loved (4:00 AM to 12:30 PM). However, after some friction with the previous store manager, I was transferred to a smaller location.
In this new store, I was assigned to the night crew. There are only two of us in the department, and we receive between 600 and 700 pieces five days a week. Out of the seven days of the week, there are four days where either my coworker or I must handle the entire load alone.
Furthermore, our responsibilities keep increasing. The last cashier leaves at 11:00 PM, so we have to manage the registers while working the load. We are also responsible for taking temperatures, doing the 'sweeps,' and opening the doors at 5:00 AM to act as cashiers because the first morning cashier doesn't arrive until 6:30 AM.
I would like to know if this workload and these expectations are standard policy or if this situation is specific to this location, as it feels unsustainable