(800)545-0135 or (619)298-7772 ext. 153 or Confidential E-mail

 for You and Your Family

Becoming a Union Member is the best way you can improve your life and your family's future. Unions are workers helping workers to:

• Improve wages, benefits, and working conditions;
• Have an independent voice at work; and
• Be treated with dignity and respect.

Union members earn substantially more than comparable nonunion workers. The small amount you pay in dues brings large rewards not just in your paycheck but also in your benefits and working conditions.

Your Union Dues Work for You

Your union dues pay for:

• Union representatives who visit your workplace and make sure you are being treated fairly and that your legal rights are upheld;
• Special discount programs and services only for members;
• Organizing to protect union jobs; and
• Experts who voice your concerns to state and national legislators on issues of concern to working families.

A Union Contract Makes Your Life Better

At UFCW local 135 we strongly believe that workers should have a voice in their jobs. The only way to have a true voice in your workplace is to have a union contract. Unions negotiate for:

• Wage increases;
• Safe conditions on the job;
• Employer-paid health insurance including vision, dental, and prescription drugs;
• Reasonable line speeds and workload requirements;
• Job security and seniority rights;
• Pensions;
• Paid holidays and vacations;
• Opportunities for advancement; and
• Protection from unfair treatment and favoritism by the boss.

How UFCW Local 135 Can Help You

The U.S. government says you have the legal right to join a union or help organize a union where you work.

• The more workers join together to fight for their rights, the more management listens to what they have to say.
• Only union members can participate in negotiations and vote on union contracts.
• The more you and your co-workers are involved in the union, the more everyone gains — better wages, better working conditions, and better benefits.

What You Can Do

• Join UFCW local 135 and ask your co-workers to join.
• Talk to your co-workers about the benefits of being a union member.
• Start thinking about improvements you want on your job.
• Together, you and your co-workers can make your company a better place to work.

Could you benefit from having a union at your workplace?  Know that you have the right to join a union. Contact our organizing department for more information.  Call German Ramirez at (619)298-7772 or (800)545-0135, ext. 153.

    Or you can contact us by confidential e-mail. 

Build A Better Future For Your Family

If your place of work is not covered by a union contract, you have no guarantee that the employer will comply with all the rights and protections provided you under federal and state laws. What if your overtime pay was calculated improperly? What if you were unfairly discriminated against? In these cases it is up to you to represent yourself.

Workers with a union, on the other hand, have a contract, an on-site representative, and an organization standing beside them. They also have much more than the minimum guarantees of federal and state laws; they have better wages, better pensions, better insurance, and a way of correcting inappropriate management actions. They have guaranteed rights and guaranteed representation. They have a written contract.

You can organize your workplace only when a majority of you and your coworkers decide you want a union. Typically, workers sign authorization cards telling the union they want it to represent them and to bargain a contract for them. Sometimes an employer will officially "recognize" the union when it sees that a clear majority wants a union. The employer will then agree to negotiate a contract with its workers. More often, a union must petition the federal government's National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for an election to determine if a majority of the workers desires union representation. The NLRB then conducts an impartial secret ballot election. If the union wins the election, the way is paved for bargaining to begin with the employer.

But we live in a society of laws and lawyers -- and organizing a union, like many other things in life, requires legal expertise. UFCW local 135 organizers are highly trained in the rules and procedures of the National Labor Relations Act, the basic law which guarantees workers the right to form unions where they work.

When it comes to organizing, it is not something we advise workers to attempt on their own. Knowledge, experience and organizational strength make the job much easier. UFCW local 135 prides itself as San Diego's foremost organizing union.

If you would like more information on organizing a union where you work, especially if you work in one of the many industries where the UFCW represents workers -- like supermarkets, department and discount stores, health care facilities, insurance companies, food processing plants, meat packing and poultry plants, breweries, distilleries and wineries, garment, textile, and chemical plants.

Could you benefit from having a union at your workplace?  Know that you have the right to join a union. Contact our organizing department for more information.  Call German Ramirez at (619)298-7772 or (800)545-0135, ext.153.

    Or you can contact us by confidential e-mail.