New year, new union

By DAVID A. COOK
President

It’s 2023 and let me tell you, the times they are a-changin’. I’m happy to report that the staff and leadership of Local 655 have entered 2023 with new goals, big changes coming, and a renewed energy for what we do.

UNION HALL RENOVATIONS
Renovations at the UFCW Local 655 union hall are coming along on schedule. These renovations will be extensive but they will help us become a more efficient organization. Once we’re done, a large portion of the inside of this hall will look unrecognizable to those of you that have been around for a while. However, they will also allow us to bring the UFCW Local 655 Health & Welfare Fund staff back into this hall for the first time in decades.

Large in-person meetings simply aren’t the way most union organizations get the message out anymore, and rather than keep a massive space for meetings that don’t require them is simply a poor use of space. So, the Health & Welfare fund staff — the dedicated folks that help guide our partners through insurance claims and any other healthcare benefits they may need — will be returning to the hall in the newly renovated space later this year.

ONE-STOP-SHOP
With our leadership team, membership department, pension fund staff, union representatives and organizers and our Health & Welfare staff all sharing the same roof, we will once again turn this hall into a one-stop-shop for all your union needs. It will make it easier for our different departments and staff to collaborate with each other, and it will save valuable resources that we can use to improve the lives of our partners.

Of course, renovations this size can take some time, so anyone attending the February quarterly meeting — which will now be held in the smaller meeting space in the back of the building — will see just how extensive these projects can be. I am proud to say that this project will be completed in a few short months, and I look forward to the new folks we will have in this building that share the same goal we all do: serving the hard-working men and women of this local.

STAFF CHANGES
That’s not the only thing set to change. As you’ll see on this page, we are saying goodbye to a longtime Union Representative, Karen Settlemoir-Berg, and welcoming a new staffer in her place.

The new year and the changes in staff means we are once again reorganizing our territories for our Union Representatives. For most of the partners of Local 655, this means you’ll soon have a new Union Representative. It may not be a familiar face, or one you already know. These changes take effect at the end of January, so beginning in February keep an eye out for a new Local 655 Union Rep walking your stores and fielding your questions and concerns.

UNION CONTRACT VOTES
We’re rolling out several new items in this new year, and one of them has to do with how we vote our union contracts. Many of our partners have asked in recent years if we could provide an option for them to vote on a contract without having to show up to an in-person meeting.

Late in 2022 we held our first ever all digital vote with our partners at Holten Meat. This vote allowed us to figure out what we’ll need going forward to hold digital votes across our entire membership.

While we will still be holding some votes as in-person meetings, I anticipate that we will begin making the transition to digital voting this year and in the years to come. The ultimate goal remains the same: to make sure as many of our partners can vote on the contract as easily as possible. By perfecting this process over time we will be able to deliver a ballot directly to your phone or email address and allow you to vote in seconds.

GROWING OUR UNION
Finally, I have my sights set on another goal: growing this organization.

I’ve written and spoken many times about this subject, so I’ll keep it brief. While many of you have asked if and when I plan to retire I want to make sure everyone knows that I am not going anywhere until I have put this organization in the best possible position to succeed once I’m gone. In part, that means I am emphasizing organizing new partners into our union. This organization must expand into new industries and grow in its size if it is going to continue to effectively fight for all our partners. I am laser-focused on this goal, and I am committed to seeing progress on this front come hell or high water.

I hope you’re as excited about the new year as I am. This union will grow and change at every opportunity, and we hope you’ll see just how much more we can accomplish together.