If barbecuing or grilling is on your agenda for the Fourth of July, great news: You have a lot of American-made, union-made choices. Unlike many consumer goods where you really have to scrounge around to go union, barbecues offer a lot of choices, and the AFL-CIO has
rounded up not just a list of meats and condiments, but of online resources for finding out what products are union made.
Meats? How about Boar's Head, Hebrew National, Butterball, Ball Park, Oscar Meyer and more. Condiments? Try Heinz, Gulden's, French's, Old El Paso, Open Pit Barbecue, Vlasic. You need buns and such to put them on? Again, lots of choices, including Arnold, Pan O Gold, Ottenberg's, and more.
Salty crunchy things? We have those, too. Frito Lay, Bugles, Chex Mix, Corn Nuts. Go ahead and dip them in Lay's or Tostitos dips or the aforementioned Old El Paso. Want to pretend you're being healthy and have a salad? You can dress it with Ken's, Kraft, Hidden Valley.
Soft drinks are another embarrassment of riches, including Barq's, Coke, Pepsi, Old Philadelphia, Hawaiian Punch, Minute Maid, V8, Welch's, Tropicana. If you're looking to engage in the hallowed Fourth of July pastime of getting liquored up, you're in luck again. In addition to the big beer names like Miller, Budweiser, and Michelob, union beer options include Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve and Blue Boar Pale Ale, Mad River and Steelhead, Stegmaier, and more. Non-beer drinking drinkers also have their choices.
For dessert, how about some Tastykakes, which were always better than Hostess anyway. Or if you're looking for a cool sweet, try Good Humor, Carvel, or Breyer's ice cream.
Beyond the food, keep your cool food cool in an Igloo or Rubbermaid cooler, grill your grilled food on a Weber Q Series grill, and protect your skin with Coppertone or Bain de Soleil. All while supporting American-made, union-made goods.