Press Release

Giant Employees Announce Series of “Save My Store” Town Halls in Response to Possible Sale of Stores

Apr 12, 2016

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 12, 2016

CONTACT
Jonathan Williams, UFCW Local 400, jwilliams@local400.org

The first in a series of town halls tonight at 6pm in Fredericksburg aims to preserve good jobs and quality shopping threatened by a corporate merger

WHAT:

On March 15, following the shareholders’ approval of a merger between Ahold and Delhaize, the parent companies of local grocery chains Giant Food, Food Lion, and Martin’s, employees at eight area stores were informed that their stores may be sold as a result of the merger.

With the future of so many jobs at stake, Giant Food employees launched the “Save My Store” campaign the following week with a press conference and a petition to Ahold/Delhaize which is steadily gaining thousands of signatures from employees and customers.

Now, the campaign is hosting a series of four town halls in the communities surrounding the threatened stores to bring together employees, customers, elected officials and other leaders to do whatever it takes to keep quality jobs and shopping options intact.

Representatives of Ahold and Giant Food were also invited to attend, but the company has refused to respond.

FIRST TOWN HALL TONIGHT:

Fredericksburg #SaveMyStore Town Hall
6:00pm, Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Hyatt Place, 1241 Jefferson Davis Highway, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

UPCOMING TOWN HALLS:

Accokeek #SaveMyStore Town Hall
Wednesday, April 13 at 6 pm
Hilton Garden Inn Waldorf
10385 O’Donnell Place, Waldorf, MD 20603

La Plata #SaveMyStore Town Hall
Tuesday, April 19 at 6 pm
Holiday Inn Express La Plata
6860 Crain Highway, La Plata, MD 20646

Stafford #SaveMyStore Town Hall
Wednesday, April 20 at 6 pm
Hampton Inn
2915 Jefferson Davis Highway, Stafford, VA 22554

WHO:

Giant Food employees

Grocery store customers

Local elected officials and community leaders

Mark Federici, President, UFCW Local 400

and others

EIGHT GIANT FOOD GROCERY STORES SLATED FOR SALE:

Giant #338, Accokeek, MD
Giant #339, La Plata, MD
Giant #234, Stafford, VA
Giant #235, Fredericksburg, VA
Giant #243, Stafford, VA
Giant #256, Spotsylvania, VA
Giant #770, Fredericksburg, VA
Giant #789, Falmouth, VA

LEARN MORE:

Visit SaveMyStore.org to learn more, including previous press coverage, a map of stores threatened by the merger.

###

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 represents 35,000 members working in the retail food, health care, retail department store, food processing, service and other industries in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

Kroger, Press Release

After Woman Suffers Stroke On Insane Commute, Coworkers Gather Hundreds of Petition Signatures Demanding A Transfer

Mar 24, 2016

PRESS ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 24, 2016

CONTACT
Jonathan Williams, UFCW Local 400, jwilliams@local400.org

Joined by elected officials and community leaders, Kroger coworkers come to aid of 18-year employee who suffered a stroke on the bus after being forced to commute two hours to work

WHAT:

Felecia Mayes has worked as a Kroger cashier for 18 years. Last year, she arrived to the Portsmouth store where she worked to find a sign posted on the door saying Kroger would be closing in less than a month. When Felecia applied for a transfer to the new Kroger Marketplace store only minutes from her home, the company denied her request. Instead, Kroger gave her two choices – commute to a store two hours away from home or lose her job.

Last week, while taking the two-hour trip to work, Felecia suffered a stroke on the bus. Her doctor attributes to the stress and physical difficulty of her new commute. Meanwhile, there is a Kroger store within eyesight of her home. Her doctor’s say she can not keep doing the commute.

After hearing the news, Felecia’s coworkers collected hundreds of signatures from Kroger employees on a petition demanding the company immediately transfer her to the Kroger Marketplace a short walk from her home.

Along with her coworkers, elected officials, community leaders, and union representatives, Felecia will deliver those petitions to the store manager at the Kroger Marketplace near her home.

They are calling on Kroger to respect the dedication of an 18-year associate by transferring her immediately to the Kroger Marketplace in Portsmouth.

WHEN:

11:00 a.m., Thursday, March 24, 2016

WHERE:

Kroger Marketplace, 1301 Frederick Blvd, Portsmouth, VA 23707

WHO:

Felecia Mayes, Kroger cashier

Coworkers, friends, and family of Felecia Mayes

Senator L. Louise Lucas, Senate of Virginia, 18th District

Delegate Steve Heretick, Virginia House of Delegates, 79th District

James Boyd, President, NAACP Portsmouth Branch

Joe Dillard, President, NAACP Norfolk Branch

Tanya Canty, Director, Mission United, United Way of South Hampton Roads

Kroger union representatives

###

Ahold, Giant, Press Release

Giant Employees Announce Press Conference in Response to Potential Sale of Fredericksburg Stores

Mar 22, 2016

MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, March 22, 2016

CONTACT
Jonathan Williams, UFCW Local 400 – jwilliams@local400.org

Union of grocery employees to be joined by elected officials and local leaders to call on company to preserve good jobs and quality shopping

WHAT:

Last week, following shareholder approval of the merger of Ahold and Delhaize, the parent companies of local grocery chains Giant Food, Food Lion, and Martin’s, employees at several area stores were informed that their stores may be sold as a result of the merger.

With the future of so many jobs at stake, workers at Giant Food stores in Fredericksburg are hosting a press conference to tell Ahold/Delhaize and any potential buyers that they will do whatever it takes to preserve their collective bargaining agreement – regardless of who owns the stores or what brand they are operated under.

WHEN:

1:00pm, Wednesday, March 23, 2016

WHERE:

Giant, 1245 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

WHO:

Giant Food employees

Grocery store customers

Local elected officials, including Mary Katherine Greenlaw, Mayor, City of Fredericksburg

Community leaders, including Vernon Green Jr., VP of the Stafford Branch of the NAACP

Mark Federici, President, UFCW Local 400

and others

###

Press Release

Local 400 Endorses Glenn Ivey for Congress in Maryland’s Fourth District

Mar 07, 2016

Photo courtesy of @Glenn_Ivey Twitter page.

LANDOVER, MD – Today, Local 400 of the United Food & Commercial Workers officially endorsed Glenn Ivey for Maryland’s 4^th Congressional District.

Mark Federici, President of UFCW Local 400, issued the following statement regarding the endorsement:

“Glenn Ivey has, and always will be, a friend to working families. In a time when Congress just isn’t working for our families, we know Glenn Ivey is the champion we need to raise wages, create jobs and expand vital middle class programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare.”

Local 400 has more than 2,500 members in Maryland’s 4^th Congressional District and an additional 10,000 members throughout the state working in the retail food, health care, retail department store, food processing, service and other industries.

“So proud to have the support of the hard-working families of UFCW Local 400,” said Ivey. “I pledge to work hard everyday to get results for them like I did when I was State’s Attorney. In Congress, I will fight to preserve the accomplishments of President Obama against extremist Republican attacks in order to strengthen our families.”

Earlier this year, Local 400 endorsed Senator Jamie Raskin for Maryland’s 8th Congressional District and Congresswoman Donna Edwards for Senate.

###

Press Release

UFCW Local 400 Condemns Passage of “Right to Work” in West Virginia

Feb 12, 2016

CHARLESTON, WV – In a partisan vote, today the the West Virginia legislature voted to override Governor Tomblin’s veto of the “Workplace Freedom Act,” commonly known as “right to work.”

Mark Federici, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400, issued the following statement:

“Every West Virginia State Legislator who supported passing this bill should be ashamed of themselves.

“Bills like this bring lower wages, fewer benefits and more dangerous workplaces to every place that it is passed. It is a sweetheart deal for corporations that’s going to be paid for by everyday West Virginia families.

“The bottom line is ‘right to work’ will make it much more difficult for hardworking men and women to earn better wages, secure family-supporting benefits, or ensure proper safety in the workplace.

“This unfair law is nothing but a special-interest scam to lower the wages of workers so that corporations can enjoy larger profits. The UFCW Local 400 union family understands that people deserve better than partisan bills backed by out-of-state billionaires.

“We will continue to hold our elected leaders accountable to our members and voters. We will fight every single day to help hardworking people push beyond the limits of this legislation to find the better life that they deserve.”

###

Press Release

Maryland’s Largest Retail Union Endorses Donna Edwards for Senate

Feb 04, 2016

UFCW Local 400 issues joint endorsement with other local unions collectively representing more than 50,000 Maryland workers

LANDOVER, MD – The United Food & Commercial Workers Local 400, which represents tens of thousands of men and women working primarily in grocery stores throughout the state, announced it has endorsed Donna Edwards for senate.

UFCW Local 400 is joined by UNITE HERE Locals 25, 7, and 23, as well as ATU Local 689. Taken together, the joint endorsement represents more than 50,000 hardworking Marylanders.

Mark Federici, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400, issued the following statement regarding this round of endorsements:

“I’ve been involved in state and congressional politics for decades, and I can honestly say that Congresswoman Edwards truly understands the everyday struggles of working families in Maryland.

“Congresswoman Edwards has always been there for our hardworking members and their families. She’s stood on picket lines with us, led the fight to raise the minimum wage, and never hesitated to speak out against bad trade deals that threatened our livelihoods. She’s willing to take on the tough fights for our members regardless of which direction the political winds are blowing. We are proud to stand with her now in her race to become Maryland’s next Senator, and we are confident that she will continue to be a progressive voice for working families.

We are proud of all that Congresswoman Edwards has accomplished, and we look forward to her much-needed leadership in Congress.”

###

Press Release

Kroger Employee Union Condemns Passage of “Workplace Freedom Act”

Feb 04, 2016

UFCW Local 400 decries attack on working families in West Virginia

CHARLESTON, WV – Today, the West Virginia House of Delegates voted 54-46 to approve the Workplace Freedom Act, commonly known as “right to work.”

Mark Federici, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400, issued the following statement regarding today’s vote:

“Today’s partisan vote by the West Virginia state legislature is a major step backward for working families in West Virginia.

“Our members spent weeks placing calls to delegates and lobbying legislators in both chambers to oppose the bill. We even delivered more than 500 handwritten letters to legislators gathered from members in Kroger stores across the state urging them to oppose ‘right to work.’

“But instead of listening to hardworking men and women that live, work, and vote in West Virginia, the legislature instead chose to bow to pressure from outside special interest groups backed by the infamous, billionaire Koch brothers.

“As a union with members in ‘right-to-work’ states, we know all too well the harm of this anti-worker legislation. Just over the mountains in Virginia, our members already suffer the everyday consequences of ‘right to work’ legislation.

“Our members in Virginia earn as much as $2 less per hour, pay up to five times more out-of-pocket for benefits, and earn up to one week less vacation each year than their brothers and sisters in West Virginia – even working for the same company, doing the same job, with the same experience. The difference? Virginia is a ‘right-to-work’ state.

“This bill has nothing to do with ‘workplace freedom’ and everything to do with diminishing the power of working people to negotiate for a better life. The bottom line is “right to work” will make it much more difficult for hardworking men and women to earn better wages, secure family-supporting benefits, or ensure proper safety in the workplace.

“We look forward to Governor Tomblin’s veto of this dangerous, deceptive legislation, and we will continue to hold our elected leaders accountable to voters and uphold the veto when the bill inevitably returns to the legislature.”

###

Press Release

UFCW Local 400 Endorses Jamie Raskin for Congress, Noting He Is A “Uniquely Effective Legislator”

Feb 04, 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 4, 2016

SILVER SPRING, MD – Local 400 of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) announced today its endorsement of Senator Jamie Raskin in his campaign for Maryland’s 8th Congressional District.

Mark Federici, President of UFCW Local 400, issued the following statement regarding the endorsement:

“In Annapolis, Senator Raskin has consistently been there for our members when they’ve needed him most. It was his fervent leadership as Chairman of Montgomery County’s Senate delegation that helped secure the votes needed to increase the minimum wage. Mr. Raskin is a uniquely effective legislator. I was not surprised to learn recently that he helped to pass more than 100 bills into law under his tenure. We look forward to Mr. Raskin bringing his much-needed effectiveness and enthusiasm to Congress.”

The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 represents 12,400 members in Maryland working in the retail food, health care, retail department store, food processing, service and other industries, and 35,000 total members across Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

“I am excited to receive UFCW Local 400’s endorsement in this race. This is a great progressive union and a champion of Maryland’s hard-working and stressed-out workers. I look forward to working with more than ten thousand UFCW Local 400 members in Maryland – grocery workers, food service workers, and retail workers – not only to win this exciting campaign but to fight in Congress for an economy that works for working people,” said Senator Raskin. “As a champion of the labor movement and the right to organize, I am proud to have UFCW Local 400 members on my side as we bring progressive grassroots activism to Congress to challenge the big money system.”

UFCW Local 400 joins the Machinists and Aerospace Workers and OPEIU Local 2 as early union supporters. The Raskin campaign has also earned the support of the Sierra Club, the 72-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Democracy for America, Progressive Democrats of America and more than 60 Democratic elected officials, including the state’s top Democrat, Attorney General Brian Frosh, Congressman John Sarbanes from the neighboring district, Congressman John Conyers who is the longest serving member of the US House and the co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Mark Takano, State Senators Rich Madaleno, Susan Lee, Karen Montgomery and Ron Young, Delegate Karen Lewis Young, and dozens of other state and local officials.

###

Politics, Community & Organizing, Press Release

UFCW Local 400 Endorses Delegate Aisha Braveboy for Maryland Attorney General

Apr 25, 2014

Delegate Aisha Braveboy (left) with Sonny Garibay, UFCW Local 400 Organizer. photo by Karlyn Williams.

The 35,000 working men and women of UFCW Local 400 proudly endorse Delegate Aisha Braveboy in the 2014 Democratic primary election for Maryland Attorney General. Our endorsement recognizes Aisha’s tireless leadership to raise the minimum wage and advocacy on behalf of working families. We have endorses Delegate Braveboy because she is a strong and effective leader with an exemplary 8-year record of fighting for Maryland workers, consumers and taxpayers.
For the full letter of endorsement please click here.

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