Progressive Leadership

Martin Rosas is a UFCW International Vice President and the President of UFCW District Union Local Two and its 14,000 members who work in Kansas, Missouri, and the panhandle of Oklahoma.  His 30+ years of experience in the labor movement began in 1989 when, shortly before his 18^th birthday, he joined former Local 340 on his first day of employment at Cargill in Dodge City, Kansas.  While performing various jobs in the production area of the kill floor of one of the largest beef processing and slaughter facilities in the country, he quickly grasped the importance of a union contract.  In 1992, he became a union steward and also began serving on contract negotiating committees.  After becoming a SPUR (special project union representative), he participated in a variety of UFCW organizing programs in California, Colorado, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Texas from 1992-1995.

In the mid-1990s, Rosas became a Local 2 Executive Board member and was then elected to the office of Secretary-Treasurer in 2001.  In 2016, he was elected President of Local 2, and in 2017, he became a UFCW International Union Vice President.  Since 2023, Rosas has also served as President for the United Latinos of UFCW.  His experience working with local union staff and stewards in Dodge City, Kansas, Liberal, Kansas, and Guymon, Oklahoma, to enforce contracts and build a strong membership base in “Right to Work” states, created a solid foundation for his current role as Local 2’s executive officer.  He takes pride in the fact that Local 2 is nationally recognized for its progressive programs and initiatives. During the pandemic, Rosas was key to setting a new standard in the beef industry as he helped bring wages up to an all-time high.