Whether its training retail workers to adapt to and succeed with innovative technologies in their workplaces, making college more affordable, or helping hard-working men and women become citizens, the UFCW’s union values are a direct reflection of the things that matter most to members. For Latino families in particular, the value of union membership can make a difference in both their workplaces and day-to-day lives.
On average, unionization raises Latino workers’ wages by over 17% – about $2.60 per hour.
The difference is even more dramatic in low-wage jobs. Unionized Latino workers in low-wage occupations are 41 percent more likely to have health insurance and 18 percent more likely to be in a pension plan.
Fair Scheduling
Case-in-point: Erratic scheduling, especially in the retail industry, can create burdens on families with young children or elderly parents, making it unaffordable to take sick relatives to the doctor when needed. But more than one in three people who belong to a union like UFCW get at least one week’s notice of their work schedules.
Discrimination
Our union family understands how confusing and difficult these times are for many of our Latino members. Which is why we’re committed to ensuring every member has easy access to critical immigration-related information. We’re also using our contracts to ensure any hateful, discriminatory action which seeks to isolate our members at work and in their communities is stopped before it starts.
Citizenship
We’re also proud to support Latino members in areas where the government either fell short or stalled. Without any federal action on comprehensive immigration reform, we launched a groundbreaking program called the United Citizenship Action Network (UCAN), which was designed to be a resource for members looking to apply for citizenship. UCAN helps folks find legal counsel, proper documents, and other assistance to get the complicated citizenship process started. Across the country, UFCW Local Unions have hosted workshops and trainings to help members who are legally eligible realize their dreams of becoming citizens.
Education
Another critical issue for Latino members is education. It’s a harsh reality that too many economic factors stand in the way of someone being able to earn a quality college degree that may help them build a better life. Thanks to our Free College Benefit, every UFCW member and their families can earn a debt-free degree from Eastern Gateway Community College.
Building Better Lives
We want Latino millennials to realize their huge economic and political power, and we want to make sure that they know that the UFCW union family can be a resource for their goals of building better lives for themselves and their loved ones. In fact, nearly six-in-ten Hispanics are millennials or younger.
If you’d like to learn more about how the United Latinos of UFCW are working to communicate, organize, and service members, don’t hesitate to reach out.