Today it was announced that a group of 250 workers, who fought long and hard over the last year to organize a union, won.
After a yearlong fight with US Foodservice in Phoenix, the workers have finally won!
It was announced today that the workers won representation with Teamsters Local 104 after a fierce fight to claim their rights to organize. This following a settlement handed down by the National Labor Relations Board.
The NLRB settlement includes union representation for 250 workers and the reinstatement with back pay for employees terminated during the organizing effort. Region 28 of the NLRB cited US Foodservice for violating labor laws nearly 200 times during the yearlong battle to organize.
In March of this year a colleague of mine and I talked with Ryan Proctor, an employee at the company. Watch the video again and be reminded that if the Employee Free Choice Act were already passed, Proctor and his coworkers would not have endured nearly as much BS from the company as they did.
Today Proctor said, "this is a huge victory for us at US Foodservice who have worked to form a union for a long time. Now we can negotiate a union contract for better working conditions, but most importantly, we have gained dignity and respect."
And this is what it is for so many workers. While the economy continues to cripple many American workers, a lot of folks aren’t even looking for better pay or benefits, they are looking for the respect and dignity that is won when having a voice in the work place.
Help me congratulate all the workers at US Foodservice in Phoenix.