Every five years, the UFCW International Union holds a convention where union leaders from across the country meet to discuss the future of our union and help set its direction for growth. The 9th UFCW International Convention was held in Las Vegas during the last week of April of this year. The room was filled with outstanding delegations of rank-and-file members who spoke and proposed amendments and resolutions to create a stronger, more progressive UFCW.

Collectively, we aim to build worker power to improve safety, wages, and working conditions and amplify workers’ voices in our workplaces and communities. To do this on a local and national level, we must continue to put our members first– the essential workers who showed up every day so our communities could get the prescriptions, groceries, and quality food on their dinner tables during the lockdowns of the pandemic.

The diverse group of delegates, including our very own, were able to make their voices heard by taking to the podiums and addressing the convention directly about the importance of putting our members first. At a convention known for speeches by top union officers, UFCW speakers were exclusively workers from an entire spectrum of work locations, backgrounds, and views; including Grocery Stores, Hospitals and Clinics, the Cannabis industry, Retail clothing and Drug Stores, Meat Packing and Food Processing, Laundry, and Textile workers.

It was a long week in Las Vegas, but our delegation and the delegations from other like-minded locals won important victories. Some highlights include:

• Resolution No. 1 – Pandemic Protection
• Resolution No. 4 – UFCW as Leader in Advocating for Migrant Food Workers
• Resolution No. 15 – Building Power in the Cannabis Industry
• Resolution No. 20 – Utilize Diverse Member SPURs for Organizing
• Resolution No. 30 – Protecting and Strengthening the UFCW’s Multi-Employer Pension Funds
• Resolution No. 31 – Protecting and Strengthening the UFCW’s Multi-Employer Health and Welfare Funds
• Resolution No. 33 – Work for Less Language Protections
• Resolution No. 40 – Fighting Mega-Mergers in the Grocery Industry that Harm Workers and Impact Our Community
• Resolution No. 55 – Full Rights and Equal Protections for Immigrant Workers
• Resolution No. 78 – Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People’s Rights and Inclusive Language
• Resolution No. 85 – LGBTQ + Inclusion

At the end of the convention, our delegation believes we were able to build unity and solidarity with members from other UFCW locals, and many more are willing to join us to help make UFCW a member-focused organizing powerhouse! Strong unions are only possible with strong members.