For UFCW Local 342 member Albert Arnoux, every month is Black History Month.
“Black History Month means prestige and success coming from where black people have come from,” he said. “Achieving success is what Black History Month is to me. It’s more than just one month. I celebrate black history every month.”
Arnoux works as a meat cutter at Stop & Shop in Brooklyn, New York, and has been a member of UFCW local 342 for 27 years. He has also served as a steward for 14 years, a role he assumed because he was inspired by another steward.
“As a steward, I like helping my colleagues have a better future,” he said.
Arnoux has spent decades in the grocery industry, and worked at ShopRite, Gristedes, A&P and Pathmark before it was acquired by Stop & Shop. He started off as a meat wrapper and was promoted to a meat cutter early on in his career.
Arnoux reflected on his 27 years as a UFCW member. “Being a member of the UFCW is about job protection and brotherhood—something people don’t have if they’re not part of a union,” he said.