President’s Message
Shawn Haggerty
Extending Union Solidarity throughout our Communities This issue of Checkout is a special thank you to you, the Members. For 10 years now it has been my privilege to represent you and I am proud to continue to lead this strong group of Union workers as we move forward. Sometimes it’s easy to forget about the things that happen outside our day-to-day experiences. Sometimes what’s happening outside our lives is too overwhelming to think about very often. The attempts to divide and conquer working people are everywhere and seem to be growing. Workers are struggling and the wealthy are striving. So I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone about the good that Union members do out in the world. Often, the generosity of Union members gets lost in the drama of strikes, battles against corporate greed, and finding ways to pit us against each other while the wealthy get richer. We can’t control the media or corporations. But we can control the way we think and speak about our Union and the labour movement. Our Members embody the spirit of giving back and raising those with less up out of the shadows. That, my Union Sisters, Brothers, and Friends, is solidarity. I’ve spoken before about the good I see every day in the things our Members achieve. Whether at work,
in the community, or on the other side of the world, UFCW Locals 175 & 633 Members do amazing things. Your Local Union continues to have a healthy budget and it’s only right to ensure we do what we can to raise others up as well. In these pages you’ll see just how much good can come from your Dues. We take pride in helping others in our communities as well. You help send students to college and university. You help your Sisters, Brothers, and Friends on the picket line stand strong and united through the strike fund. When members fall on particularly hard times, you help get them back on their feet through hardship donations and fundraisers. You help rebuild communities after wildfires, hurricanes, and floods. You bring medical services, shelter, food, and security to those in need in times of crisis. When disasters happen – whether forest fires obliterating homes to ash or hurricanes flooding entire communities – you’ll see Union members showing up to help, to support, and to get people back on track. When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September, some media reported that unionized truck drivers on the island went on strike. But that wasn’t the truth. In fact, local union members were on the ground getting supplies to the people who needed them and overcoming challenges like washed away bridges and zero electricity.
We forget that first responders are often Union members. We forget that the truck drivers who get supplies to people in some treacherous conditions, are often Union members. We forget that our children are taught by Union members, that Union members check us out at the grocery store, that Union members drive our buses and our trains. We forget that Union members work almost everywhere. So let’s take this time to focus on the good. Know that your dues support the real lives of workers because they go toward so much more than day-to-day servicing. We have the ability to build the fair and just society that we envision. But we must continue to fight for it. Whether it’s taking on corporations for anti-worker practices, holding our government accountable to a higher standard, or those vital dayto-day acts of kindness, it’s on all of us to work together. I hope you enjoy this issue of Checkout because it truly is about all the good that comes from your Membership in this Union. I wish all of you and your families a wonderful holiday season and all the best in the year to come. In Solidarity, Shawn Haggerty president@ufcw175.com
December 2017
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