IN THIS EDITION, YOU WILL FIND:
- The latest news regarding line speeds in poultry plants, the Biden Administration’s program to secure pension plans.
- Why the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade signals a future threat to labor laws.
- News around the nation and in your region.
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Federal Legislative and Policy Updates
- The mass shooting in Buffalo is the latest in a wave of racism and hate that has swept over grocery stores across the country in the past decade. UFCW has called on Congress to pass the STOP Violence Act, which would make grocery stores eligible for federal funding for active shooter preparedness.
- USDA announced a $65 million investment in a pilot program implementing health and safety standards for both U.S. and immigrant workers in the H-2A visa program. The program’s aim is to increase the resiliency of the food and agricultural supply chain.
- According to a report from Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee, unionized workers earn 10.2% more than their non-union peers and reduce racial and gender economic disparities because unionization increases wages by 17.3% for Black workers and 23.1% for Latino workers.
- Federal budget season is upon us. Labor Secretary Walsh testified before House Ed & Labor and Senate Appropriations on the FY 2023 budget request.
- UFCW celebrated the AFL-CIO’s election of the most diverse leadership team to ever lead the labor federation. President Liz Shuler is the first woman to ever hold the highest position in the AFL-CIO and Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond is the first African-American to hold the second-highest position in the federation.
- U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen told U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) that the expansion of the Child Tax Credit was “not a significant factor” and has “literally nothing to do” with inflation – dispelling recent criticism that the expanded CTC helped fuel it.
- UFCW International President Marc Perrone released the following statement last Friday after the Supreme Court ruling:
“The Supreme Court’s decisions this week needlessly eviscerated sacred rights and liberties of all Americans – especially women – that have stood in place for generations. The rights to privacy, to feel safe in one’s community, and to have control over one’s personal health and safety, should never be rolled back; they should be strengthened and protected. “
News From Around the Nation
- In the first 48 hours of the Minnesota frontline worker premium pay application, over 200,000 workers have applied. UFCW members in meatpacking, food processing, grocery retail, and nursing homes are eligible to apply for the program.
- Republican Governor Candidate Ryan Kelley was arrested on Thursday, June 9th for charges related to the January 6th U.S. Capitol riot. Kelly is one of five remaining candidates in the Republican Gubernatorial primary after five other candidates failed to make the ballot and were found guilty of signature fraud
- The Governor of Louisiana has signed a bill to provide workplace protections for most state employees who are registered medical marijuana patients.
- The Colorado Supreme Court upheld Proposition 118, requiring most employers give workers 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave starting in 2024. The ballot initiative was approved by voters in 2020 passing by nearly 60 percent. Employers with nine or fewer employees are required to only pay half of the premium and can deduct up to that amount from that employee’s wages.
- The Washington State Legislature moves to expand nursing programs statewide, addressing a health care staffing shortage, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing more than $38 million to state schools to create new programs and bolster existing programs.
Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) and legislative leaders have agreed to provide as much as $1,050 to California families to help with rising gas prices and inflation. The three-tier program would benefit an estimated 23 million California taxpayers.
