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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2011)
Clay, Anderson re-elected leaders of UFCW #555 Local 21 in Seattle. Dan Clay has been elected to a second term as Grocery, meat and president of United Food central checkout con- and Commercial Workers tracts in Portland and Local 555. He defeated the Bend area also were challenger Paul Petillo by a conducted under Unity vote of 1,830 to 629. Bargaining. Mail-in ballots were Those efforts were counted Sept. 8. recognized by the inter- Jeff Anderson was re- national union last April, elected to a second term as when President Joe secretary-treasurer by ac- Hansen presented Local clamation. 555 with a Unity Bar- Terms are for three D AN C LAY gaining Award at its years. Steward Summit. Clay, 34, has worked for Currently, Unity the union since May 2000, Bargaining is being having started in a tempo- used to negotiate multi- rary position as a member- employer grocery con- ship coordinator. He also tracts covering Eugene, held jobs there as an organ- Salem, Roseburg, Med- izer and union rep before ford, Coos Bay, Van- running for president, fol- couver and Longview. lowing the retirement of “This the largest Gene Pronovost. membership driven col- Anderson, 53, has been lective bargaining com- a member of the union for mittee I’ve ever seen,” 35 years. He started in the Anderson said. “Now, grocery industry at age 14 J EFF A NDERSON when we set bargaining in Dalles, Oregon. He dates, employers are ask- joined the union at age 18 after taking a job at a Fred Meyer store ing how many people we’re bringing.” The Eugene area bargaining com- in Salem. The union hired him as an organizer in 1986. Since then, he has mittee is comprised of 45 union worked in nearly every department of members. Clay and Anderson said that during the local, including organizing director, director of legislative and committee their first term they also re-established affairs, and assistant director of collec- the local’s Organizing Department. To- day, that department employs seven or- tive bargaining. Clay and Anderson ran on a slate in ganizers who are about to embark “on 2008, and again in 2011. the most aggressive organizing this “Jeff and I have a unique way of do- union has seen in years,” Anderson ing things. We collaborate. We’re a said. team,” Clay said. “He does some things Recent organizing victories include well. I do some things well. We com- a long-term care facility in Coos Bay, plement each other’s strengths and and grocery and central checkout em- weaknesses.” ployees at a new Fred Meyer store in They say they’ve made major Wilsonville. Local 555 also has filed strides in their first term to activate the for an election at a food co-op in Ash- membership. “Rank-and-file union land. leadership is unionism at its best,” Clay “We recognize that organizing new said. “The key to success in the labor members is the best way to strengthen movement, or the key to its failure, is all of our contracts,” Clay said. membership involvement. When mem- Local 555 represents more than bers are involved, they’re more willing 19,000 workers in Oregon and South- to fight for something. When they’re west Washington. It is the largest pri- less involved, they’re less willing to vate-sector union in the state. fight.” That activism, the duo said, has helped salvage some benefits in med- ical and pension plans during a time STAT OF THE WEEK when most employers wanted to gut them (following the Great Recession The richest family in America? stock market collapse). That remains the clan of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. The six Wal- Clay and Anderson credit “Unity ton heirs on the latest Forbes 400 Bargaining” for the early success. First list released late last month hold a rolled out by the international union in combined fortune of $93 billion. If 2008, Local 555 implemented it for that $93 billion sat in an investment non-food bargaining with Fred Meyer. returning 3 percent, the six would In those successful negotiations, con- average $465 million each this year tracts in Portland, Salem, Coos Bay, in income. An assistant Wal-Mart Newberg, and Longview were bar- store manager would have to work gained simultaneously — and in tan- 10,764 years to match that total. dem with grocery bargaining at sister PAGE 12 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS OCTOBER 7, 2011
