UFCW Local 832
Encyclopedia
The UFCW Local 832 is a local union
of the United Food and Commercial Workers
union. It represents workers at a variety of workplaces in Winnipeg
and elsewhere in Manitoba
, Canada
. It has a heavy representation in the service and retail sector, common for UFCW locals. Local 832 can be considered a 'mega-local', or a union local consisting of a large number of workers and workplaces. This is due to a long series of mergers between UFCW locals in Manitoba; much like with other mega-local mergers, there have been benefits and costs to the membership. Until the secession of the St. Boniface Hospital workers (into UFCW Local 1869), UFCW 832 contained nearly all UFCW-affiliated workplaces in Manitoba. As a result, it is the largest private-sector union in Manitoba.
The local was recently successful in organizing a group of Mexican agricultural workers at Mayfair Foods. Although enough workers signed union cards to automatically certify in September 2006, a series of disputes before the Manitoba Labour Board pushed back their certification until June 26, 2007 This certification has national importance, they became the first group of organized foreign farm workers in Canada.
Local union
A local union, often shortened to local, in North America, or a union branch in the United Kingdom and other countries is a locally-based trade union organization which forms part of a larger, usually national, union.Local branches are organized to represent the union's members from a particular...
of the United Food and Commercial Workers
United Food and Commercial Workers
The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union is a labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in many industries, including agriculture, health care, meatpacking, poultry and food processing, manufacturing, textile, G4S Security, chemical...
union. It represents workers at a variety of workplaces in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and elsewhere in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It has a heavy representation in the service and retail sector, common for UFCW locals. Local 832 can be considered a 'mega-local', or a union local consisting of a large number of workers and workplaces. This is due to a long series of mergers between UFCW locals in Manitoba; much like with other mega-local mergers, there have been benefits and costs to the membership. Until the secession of the St. Boniface Hospital workers (into UFCW Local 1869), UFCW 832 contained nearly all UFCW-affiliated workplaces in Manitoba. As a result, it is the largest private-sector union in Manitoba.
Sectors represented in UFCW 832
This is a partial list of sectors represented by UFCW 832.- Grocery (SafewaySafeway Inc.Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
, Real Canadian SuperstoreReal Canadian SuperstoreReal Canadian Superstore is a chain of hypermarkets owned by Canadian food retailing giant Loblaw Companies. Its name is often shortened to RCSS or Superstore....
), Extra FoodsExtra FoodsExtra Foods is a Canadian supermarket chain, part of Loblaw Companies Limited. It operates 72 stores in Western Canada. Most Extra Foods stores are smaller than its sister chain, The Real Canadian Superstore, and most locations are in smaller, rural communities... - Meatpacking (Maple Leaf Foods)
- Apparel Manufacturing (Western Glove)
- Health Care
History
Founded in 1938, Local 832 was approximately 700 members strong by 1964 when Bernard Christophe was elected President. Christophe held the presidency of Local 832 until ending his 38-year stretch as head of the local by stepping down in 2002 http://www.ufcw832.com/sub.php?id=21. He was replaced by the current President & C.E.O., Robert Ziegler. UFCW 832 recently had elections to their executive board in 2005; these elections saw the first contested election for president in a number of years. Ziegler and affiliated candidates for Vice-Presidents on Executive Board defeated all challengers.The local was recently successful in organizing a group of Mexican agricultural workers at Mayfair Foods. Although enough workers signed union cards to automatically certify in September 2006, a series of disputes before the Manitoba Labour Board pushed back their certification until June 26, 2007 This certification has national importance, they became the first group of organized foreign farm workers in Canada.