Voice of UFCW 770 March 2016 | Page 10

JOANN MARMOLEJO MARTEL FRASER, Recorder Union Leader, Tireless Advocate for Working Men and Women Joann Marmolejo began her early career working in the fields of Bakersfield earning seventyfive cents an hour, while men received a dollar an hour for the same work. That early introduction to disparity motivated her to pursue better working conditions and pay, not only for herself but for all working men and women. Joann stepped into her first union job in June of 1962 at Thriftimart, a grocery chain in Bakersfield, bringing her hourly rate up to $2.12 an hour-working only 40 hours a week instead of 48. When the company asked if she would transfer to Santa Ma