OctoberJune 20182016 Countdown to 2019 Grocery Negotiations No Pharmacist Left Alone Legislation heads to Governor Meet New UFCW Local 135 Representative Sharyn Baldwin The Worker October 2018 The Worker The Newsletter of the UFCW Local 135 San Diego, CA 3 President’s Message 4 Secretary-Treasurer’s Report Distinguished Service 30 Year Service Pin, Albertsons 1705 5 New UFCW Local 135 Virginia Morones Representative Sharyn 30 Year Service Pin, Albertsons 4786 President’s Baldwin/Free College! Becky Parker 3 Message Future Member 6 Union News Briefs David & Amanda Nelson, Stater Bros. Ethan Charles, born September 1, 2018 7 Insurance and Membership Notify your union within 30 days of: Contact Information Marriage Birth Adoption Divorce Change of Address Death in the Family 8 Members at Work Change of Guardianship The RX Consultant: a FREE Secretary- 10 OFFICERS 4 Treasurer's UFCW benefit for Pharmacists, President: Mickey Kasparian Report Pharmacy Techs Secretary-Treasurer: Richard Barrera EXECUTIVE BOARD 11 Ask Mike/Weingarten Rights Mickey Kasparian, President Richard Barrera, Secretary-Treasurer 12 The Apple Didn't Fall Far Francine Woods, Recorder From the Tree: Yessica and Tom Elbert, Jr., Vice President Sade Young Sharyn Baldwin, Vice President Sandra O’Brien, Vice President A New Gallup Poll shows 5 New UFCW 13 Jesus Marin, Vice President Local 135 Union Americans Support Labr Theresa Jacques, Vice President Representative Jose Lino, Vice President Sharyn Baldwin Unions Maribel Mckinze, Vice President David DiGiorgio, Vice President 14 Designate a Doctor/Discount Beatriz Nuñez, Vice President Child Care EDITORIAL STAFF 15 Member Tickets Editors: Mickey Kasparian Communications Director: Lori Kern For up-to-date union information Follow us on Twitter: @UFCW135 visit www.UFCW135.org Like us on Facebook: UFCW135 The Worker (USPS 018-630) is published monthly by UFCW Local 135, 2001 Camino Del Rio South, San Diego, California, 92108-3603. Periodical postage paid at San Diego, California. Website: www.ufcw135.org Postmaster: Send address changes to The Worker, 2001 Camino Del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108-3603. 2 The Worker • October 2018 President’s Countdown to 2019 Grocery Message Negotiations to put off retirement after losing tens food. All the while, Walmart revenue of thousands of dollars in the stock climbed 3.8 percent to $128.03 billion market. We cannot let this happen in just the second quarter of this year. to our members. A pension is more Kroger’s total sales increased 3.4% reliable. That money is there for you to $37.5 billion in the first quarter when you decide it's time. compared to $36.3 billion for the same We must take care of our retirees as period last year. Albertsons, for the well. They should be able to retire with first quarter, overall sales rose 1.6% to stability and maintain their health care. $14.03 billion from $13.82 billion a year earlier. During collective bargaining with the grocery stores, market share is critical. These companies can afford to have There was a time when there were their workers make livable wages, and many chains, including Lucky, Food provide health and welfare and a good By Mickey Kasparian Basket, Albertsons, Ralphs, Vons, Safeway, pension. President Gemco, Big Bear, FedMart and the list International Vice President They choose to hoard money for goes on. Over the years, most of these themselves and their shareholders while very time we go into contract have been bought, sold, merged or their workers suffer. They think they negotiations, I say that this time consolidated. can keep these enormous amounts of it will be more difficult than the E We are left with a lot of non-union money coming in without paying their last. I say it because it’s true. Every time stores and ethnic markets, and we workers a decent wage. negotiations come around, they get more and more difficult. This is what we’re up against. I don’t mean to scare you, but it We are looking at the most is the truth. The only way we are contentious negotiations with “I will commit to you to going to beat them at their own Vons, Ralphs and Albertsons game is by standing together. since the 2003 strike. These always protect your pensions I know I repeat that a lot, but companies are coming after we must stand together to win. your pensions, the Golden 85, and health benefits.” Because who is the union? You and your health benefits. are. And you need to fight. We Pension systems are under must let management know that we will fight as hard as attack everywhere and companies want must protect what we have against necessary. nothing better than to put workers into employers who want to lower your pay a 401(k) or something similar. scales to those of non-union stores. Your contract expires in March 2019, Rather than give you defined monthly The employers want to penalize our but we will begin meeting with the income that you earned, greedy members for the smaller market share companies as early as January. corporations want you to gamble with they created. I will commit to you to always protect your future. Putting your retirmenet Walmart and Target have grabbed ahold your pensions and health benefits. into a 401(k) type investment, i.e., the of the grocery market. More than a stock market, is risky. third of all grocery workers rely on We will keep you informed by our website, social media and by text For example, during the 2008 economic some form of public assistance and one downturn, many people were forced in five workers has trouble affording message. The Worker • October 2018 3 Secretary- No Pharmacist Left Alone Bill Treasurer's Report Passes Legislature, Heads to Governor's Desk are left alone in the pharmacies, they between checking for drug interactions and their patients are put at great risk. and counseling patients, giving flu shots, while juggling phones and cash registers, Following the hearing, staff at the their role as stewards of public health is UFCW Western States Council compromised. drafted legislation which was ultimately sponsored by Senator Scott Weiner. When pharmacists are forced to work Local 135 pharmacists carried the long shifts alone, they are the only thing heavy lifting to move the bill forward. standing between armed criminals and In particular, Seung Oh, Nancy Arellano, a supply of medicines that can be resold Suzanne Bradbury and Tim Honroda on the black market. made several trips to Sacramento to California is relying on pharmacists meet with legislators and to testify even more to fill healthcare gaps. In at Committee hearings. Additionally, By Richard Barrera 2013, pharmacists’ scope of practice Secretary-Treasurer Seung testified before the Board of was expanded to help increase Pharmacy, and the team met with access to healthcare for underserved legislators at their local offices to s a result of incredible communities. Pharmacists have willingly bring their first-hand experiences to leadership by our sisters and embraced these opportunities to the table. It was this work by our own brothers working in pharmacies, expand their public service. In addition A Local 135 pharmacists that ultimately Senate Bill 1442 – the No Pharmacist to being the last line of defense against persuaded sometimes skeptical Left Alone Bill – passed both houses of potentially deadly drug interactions, legislators to support the bill. Backing the legislature with overwhelming and pharmacists can: bipartisan support. The Bill now heads up our pharmacist members, Local to Governor Brown, who can either sign 135 and Western States Council • Vaccinate their patients it into law or veto it. President Mickey Kasparian travelled to • Prescribe contraception Sacramento to persuade key leaders in • Provide nicotine replacement The Bill moved from concept to reality the legislature to move the bill forward products in less than a year. During our last without delays. negotiation for the pharmacist contract Failures can be deadly. California law’s with Vons, Albertson’s and Ralph’s, our Senate Bill 1442 requires corporations requirements of pharmacists are UFCW pharmacists identified not being such as Vons, Albertsons, Ralphs, Rite Aid wide-ranging and require meticulous left alone as one of their top priorities and CVS to provide a minimum level of attention to detail. For example, in 2013, – for their own safety as well as their staffing so that pharmacists can do their the California State Board of Pharmacy patients’ safety. Albertson’s and Kroger jobs better by keeping themselves and revoked a pharmacy’s and pharmacist’s management ignored these concerns, their patients safe. licenses because the pharmacist failed to comply with the law while distributing and refused to agree to a sensible Dangerously low levels of staffing opioids. Four patients died as a result. proposal to protect pharmacists and undermines the public health by their patients. In response, we decided taking away pharmacists’ professional SB 1442 requires large retail pharmacy to protect our pharmacists by going the judgment. California’s licensed corporations to provide the minimum legislative route. professional pharmacists have a crucial level of staffing required to ensure The process began with a legislative role in keeping Californians’ medicine pharmacists can fulfill their crucial hearing that Senator Josh Newman safe. Yet, anyone who has filled a healthcare role. This means having an held in Orange County. In that hearing prescription at a retail store knows that additional staff member be available at several UFCW pharmacists laid out a pharmacy counters are understaffed. all times to help with non-pharmacist compelling case that when pharmacists When pharmacists are stretched Continued to the bottom of the next page. 4 The Worker • October 2018 New UFCW Local 135 Representative: Sharyn Baldwyn haryn may look familiar to you.