Spring/Summer 2012 Ulana Rice — Acme, Glenolden, PA Cindy Brenner — ShopRite, Bayville, PA Milton Haynes, Jr. Super Fresh, Philadelphia, PA Osvaldo Sanchez wska Kunzler Witko , PA & Company, Inc., Lancaster, PA Lidia delphia n, Phila Watso Dietz & SHOP UNION! Buy products and services Dav produced by members of B& id Sher A Seaf wood ood, Ph iladelp hia, PA UFCW Local 152 1 Spring/SummerA 2l0s1o2 inside: Shopping union is now easier than ever • Clement Pappas contract ratified Flu season 2012-2013 Buy American! he United States Food and Drug workplace, check the van schedule in Visit Administration (FDA) has re - the fall edition of the UFCW’s In commended three flu viruses for Touch or visit UFCW Local 152’s web - americansworking.com T inclusion in the 2012-2013 sea - site at www.ufcwlocal152.org . sonal flu vaccine, based on recommen - Who should be vaccinated? for information on finding dations from the World Health Everyone over the age of 6 months American-made products. Organization (WHO). The WHO advised inclusion of vac - should get vaccinated every year. Support U.S. workers cines for the following three viruses: Immunity to an influenza virus and help save jobs. declines over time and may be too low • an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)-pdm to provide protection after a year. 09-like virus; It takes about two weeks after vacci - • an A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2)-like nation for antibodies to develop and virus, and provide protection. In the meantime, • a B/Wisconsin/1/2010-like virus you are still at risk for getting the flu. from the B/Yamagata lineage of It is always a good idea to take pru - viruses. dent actions to reduce the spread of germs. UFCW Mobile Health Unit • Always cover your nose and mouth UFCW Local 152 Unity The UFCW Mobile Health Unit van when you cough or sneeze and then Official Publication of will provide flu shots starting in discard the tissue in the trash. If you United Food and Commercial September for eligible employees, eli - don’t have a tissue, sneeze into the Workers Local 152 gible spouses, retirees and dependents inside of your elbow. 18 and older. • Wash your hands with soap and EDitOR Flu shots provided on the Health water, or use an alcohol-based hand Brian String and Welfare Mobile Health Unit or by rub. the unit’s staff at designated locations • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or UniOn H EADqUARtERS are covered at no cost to eligible par - 701 Route 50 ticipants. Have your insurance card mouth. Mays Landing, NJ 08330 available for identification and to veri - • Try to avoid close contact with peo - (888) JOin-152 fy eligibility. ple who are sick. To find a vaccination event near • Stay home for 24 hours after you, view the bulletin board at your Vol. 8, Issue 2 having a fever. UFCW Local 152 Unity (ISSN: 1542-720X) is published quarterly by UFCW Local 152, 701 Route 50 ! Mays Landing, NJ 08330 N Periodicals postage paid at Grievances filed or resolved: Trenton, NJ O I 1st and 2nd Quarter 2012 2012 Total POSTMASTER: Send address N changes to UFCW Local 152 Unity U 701 Route 50 228 228 Mays Landing, NJ 08330 E B Published by: O Back pay and benefits T restored to members: S Y 1st and 2nd Quarter 2012 2012 Total A P T $89,501.29 $89,501.29 I 2 Spring/Summer 2012 Member profile Retiree Donnie Baker looks back on his union service hen Donnie Baker was first approached about becoming a steward, he wasn’t sure about the idea. W The more he reflected on it, though, the more he warmed to the proposition. “I was the type of person who’d always go to my steward if I had a problem,” he said. “And I liked to get up and speak my mind when I had the chance. So I said, ‘Sure, I’ll do it.’” That decision turned out to be a good one, leading to 10 years of rewarding experiences as a union steward. “I enjoyed it a lot,” said Baker, who retired on June 1 after working at the Kraft Foods plant in Dover, Del., for 28 years. “It’s satisfying to win a grievance and to stand up for what you believe.” Baker began working in the plant as a millwright, fixing and maintaining heavy equipment. The job appealed to him because of the union wages and ben - efits it provided — benefits that weren’t available at Baker with Union Representative Lisa Sanders the chicken processing plant where he’d worked for several years. three rounds of contract negotiations and knew the In 1993, he switched to packaging and mainte - specifics of the agreements inside and out. nance, where he oversaw the line production of dry “I had a lot of folks come to me with questions food products, including Jell-O gelatin and pudding. over the years,” Baker said, “especially about wage That is where he remained until his retirement. and scheduling issues.” “It was challenging work,” he said. “Always He praised Local 152 Union Representative something new.” Lisa Sanders for always having the answers to ques - tions when he didn’t, and for the excellent service Union security she still gives to the members at Kraft Foods. Baker has lived with his wife, Connie, for 35 years “The whole union staff is great,” he said. “From and has two sons who are police officers. They also President Brian String on down, they’re good people.” have four grandchildren. In retirement, Baker hopes to spend more time The union wages and benefits he earned at the Kraft with his grandchildren and work on projects around plant were a great help to his family, Baker said. his house. Along with his wife, he enjoys working on “I never had a reason to use my benefits in a big classic cars, including a 1966 Mustang that he way, but some of my co-workers went through cancer recently took to a car show in Ocean City, N.J. treatments,” he recalled. “They were grateful for our “You just park it, set up some chairs and reminisce benefits, and I always thought it was great coverage.” with the people who walk by,” he said. “You have a Baker served on negotiating committees during good ol’ time.” Spring/Summer 2012 3 rocery industry news G By Jeff Metzger ’Round the trade ■ In this column, analyst The Behemoth has already Jeff Metzger looks at develop - committed to build six units ments in the supermarket in Washington, D.C., and 12 industry around the country. stores in Chicago. Retirees ‘Club 56’ almart is clearly Target pulling back “walking the talk” Target is slowing the pace You are cordially invited to join Club 56. when it comes to of P-fresh (hybrid food) con - Meetings are held at 10 a.m. in the Yellow W pricing aggres - versions to about 230 units Room of the United Methodist Church, siveness. Suppliers have told this year, about half the num - 3541 Pennsylvania Ave., Pennsauken, N.J. us that Walmart is pushing ber of retrofits it completed back hard against price in 2011. The primary reason: The next club meeting will be increases (“it reminds me of many of the high-volume held on Oct. 8, 2012. the ’90s,” said one vendor) market conversions (its first For more information, please contact and is also taking its pricing priority) have been completed Chairman George Kerth at (856) 429-0237 image to the competition. and the lower-volume store More specifically, the or (856) 663-2864. conversions are not at the Behemoth is looking to reduce same urgency level. grocery prices by $1 billion. Its conventional units and Burkle alert Supercenters generated about Now that A&P has officially $145 billion in sales last year exited bankruptcy and is a pri - (55 percent of total U.S. sales vately-held company controlled vs. 53 percent the prior year). by Ron Burkle, several readers Local 15M2 ailbox In the Charlotte, N.C., reported an actual Burkle sight - market, where the chain is the ing at the newly remodeled market leader, Walmart Weehawken, N.J., Pathmark. recently debuted a series of The highly successful pri - Dear President Brian String, ads featuring head-to-head vate equity guru reportedly Secretary-Treasurer Anthony Benigno pricing comparisons with its toured the refurbished store, and Local 152 staff: closest rival, Harris Teeter. apparently gave his approval I can’t thank you enough for the huge Expect this program to to the store manager and left tub of food for Christmas. My heartfelt expand to other markets, with his entourage. As one of thanks — I really appreciate it. Thank especially where Walmart’s our readers commented: “It’s you again and God Bless you all. primary competitor is not a not every day that you cross paths with a billionaire, par - Joyce Bonielto “price player.” And expect Walmart’s new ticularly one who made much Dear Brian and staff: “small format” model to of his wealth in our industry.” begin making inroads later Yes, it’s true, and that’s From the bottom of my heart and soul, why Ron Burkle truly is the I want to thank all of you for the won - this year in the northeast. Retailers and developers “King of All Supermarket derful gifts you gave to my kids. We Venture Capitalists.” had an awesome Christmas. have both told us that Walmart is aggressively seeking sites in ■ Jeff Metzger’s “Taking Heaven and Devin Lee the 30,000-60,000 square foot Stock” column appears range in metro New York and in Food World and Food the Delaware Valley.