UFCW Local 1776
Local 1776 represents workers in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs for the United Food and Commercial Workers. The larger majority of their members work in grocery stores. The number 1776 refers to the historical date in Philadelphia rather than it being a sequential number of local unions.
Full name | United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1776 |
---|---|
Founded | 1937CE |
Members | Approximately 20,000 |
Head union | United Food and Commercial Workers |
Affiliation | Change to Win |
Key people | Wendell W. Young IV, President |
Office location | Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania Pittston, Pennsylvania Biglerville, Pennsylvania |
Country | United States |
Website | www.ufcw1776.org |
History
In 1937, The Retail Clerks & Managers Protective Association (retail clerks) Local 1357 was founded in Philadelphia by employees of American Stores and A&P. In 1963, Local 1357 of the retail clerks had 4,000 members in Philadelphia area supermarkets. By the end of the decade, through the organizing power of president Wendell Young III over 10,000 non-food retail workers and department store employees joined Local 1357.
In 1971, Pennsylvania State Liquor Store clerks joined the ranks of the expanding union. In 1980 the Retail Clerks International Association had merged with the Amalgamated Meat Cutters to create the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union.
Food processing workers boot and shoe factory workers, health care workers, clerical and professional administrators as well as insurance agents and barbers, hairdressers and cosmetologists all unified during the course of the 1980s. To celebrate the newfound unity of so diverse a union membership, Local 1357 changed to the historic Local number "1776" in May 1989. Through Young's skills as an organizer and administrator, Local 1776 expanded to over 24,000 members in 1990.
Local 1776 today retains a similarity of purpose and mission, the struggles against the privatization of the PLCB and the invasion of non-union competition such as Wal-mart and non-union food producers.
Notable representations
Retail food
Non-food retail
- Burlington Coat Factory
- Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
Food processing
- Empire Kosher Poultry
- Hanover Foods Corporation
- The Hershey Company
- JBS
- Wise Foods
- Sun Re Cheese
- Cargill Meat Solutions
Professional services
- Pennsylvania AFL-CIO
- Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union
- Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 520 (JATC)
Manufacturing
- Schott Glass Technologies
- Cove Shoe
References
- "Local union temporarily suspends contract negotiations with Acme - pressofAtlanticCity.com: Business". pressofAtlanticCity.com. 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
- "US: Giant Food opening supermarket in Philadelphia this month". Freshplaza.com. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
- "Unionized workers in Pennsylvania reject offer from Acme Markets - Philly.com". Articles.philly.com. 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2013-09-02.
External links
- United Food and Commercial Workers Union International
- UFCW Local 1776
- Liquor Control Board worker contract may discourage privatization
- New contract may scuttle effort to privatize Pa. liquor sales
- Washington State Auction Should End Privatization Debate
- UFCW Local 1776 President Wendell Young speaks out against the privatization of PA Wine & Spirits Stores on FOX29 News
- Do the Lessons of Washington State’s Liquor License Auction Apply to PA?
- The Wine and Spirit of ’76: How the UFCW Local 1776 Defeated the Privateers
- UFCW Local 1776 John Meyerson and Philadelphia rally seeks to boost spirits of unions under siege