Brothers and Sisters ,
The State of Our Union is Strong , but we also face many threats .
In the past year we accomplished many of our goals : a new food contract , additional CVS organizing victories , and many important local and state election victories .
We continued to nurture and partner with community-based organizations fighting for the rights of working people , such as the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy ( LAANE ). At the LAANE celebration just last month , I was humbled to accept an award on behalf of our union ’ s work to protect and advance worker ’ s rights . We opened our Worker Center in Huntington Park to help members and their families facing immigration issues , having trouble finding health care , or needing legal assistance .
But these victories are threatened by the results of the Presidential election last November , an election captured by some of the most anti-worker elements in recent history .
As destabilizing as President-elect Donald Trump is , and will continue to be , until he is removed from office , his appointments are worse . They represent some of the most virulently anti-worker ideologues in the country .
This includes the appointment of Andrew Puzder as Labor Secretary . Puzder , CEO of CKE Restaurants ( Carl ’ s Jr , Green Burrito , among others ), wrote a book in which he said unions bankrupt companies . His co-author publicly opposes ANY minimum wage at all , calling minimum wage laws “ government overreach .”
Trump will also appoint at least one Supreme Court Justice to a court that will soon rule on the constitutionality of public employee unions – making our country a “ right-to-work ” nation
President ’ s Message STATE OF OUR UNION overnight . This is why Local 770 strongly supported the appointment of Representative Xavier Becerra to fill the office of State Attorney General ( vacated by Senator Kamala Harris ), a move designed to hold corporations accountable and put a fighter in a position to stand up to Trump ’ s federal government . Becerra , who is the highest-ranking Latino in Congress , would be California ’ s first Latino attorney general . When Becerra served on the Ways and Means Committee , he used his position to improve Social Security for women and minorities ; to combat poverty among the working poor ; and to strengthen Medicare and ensure its long-term viability . His proven track record of fighting for working people makes him the best candidate for this job .
UFCW Local 770 President Rick Icaza with Xavier Becerra , the next Attorney General that will help move labor forward .
The Attorney General is the state ’ s top lawyer and law enforcement official , protecting and serving the people and interests of California through a broad range of duties , one of which is to protect consumers from corporations who engage in unlawful mergers and acquisitions . Having Becerra in our corner in our upcoming fights and contracts will ensure that corporations like Walgreens , do not violate laws that hurt consumers and more importantly , our Rite Aid members ’ jobs .
Make no mistake – the federal government is about to wage war on working people . But the strength of our members , labor-friendly candidates , our organizing structure and culture , and widespread partnerships with the community make us a formidable foe .
We won ’ t back down . Despite the challenges we will continue to fight , and to win . Together we will stand up to the bullies in Washington and keep our union strong .
Issue 4 THE VOICE December 2016
RICARDO F . ICAZA President
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