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Workers
were given no choice but to fight, UFCW President says:
"After five months, the picket lines remain strong, our members remain united, and customers continue to honor the workers’ picket lines costing the supermarket conglomerates billions of dollars in revenue", Doug Dority said. "UFCW members have never faced, nor has any UFCW-represented employer ever made a more extreme or drastic demand—a demand that would have effectively eliminated affordable health care benefits, as did the supermarket employers in Southern California. The UFCW, its local unions and its members rose to the challenge." Employers underestimated their workers "The employers never believed that workers could sustain a five-month strike. The employers completely underestimated the determination and fortitude of their employees." The UFCW President says that "the striking and locked out workers have performed a service for the whole country. They have sounded the alarm for all of America—your health care benefits at work are at risk." "If the supermarket giants—profitable, growing Fortune 50 mega-corporations—can launch an attack on health care benefits, then every employer is sure to follow. They have sounded the alarm that the American health care system is ready to collapse." Workers on the picket lines are genuine heroes Doug Dority gives tribute to the UFCW members, who were at the frontline of the struggle for healthcare: "The men and women on the picket lines are genuine heroes. Their sacrifice for affordable family health care has motivated and activated workers across the nation. I am honored to be part of their union, and I am humbled as well as inspired by their dedication, strength and selflessness." "Workers will not sit idle as their families are denied health care protection", Doug Dority says. "In Southern California, workers were given no choice but to fight. UFCW members have never faced, nor has nay UFCW-represented employer ever made a more extreme or drastic demand—a demand that would have effectively eliminated affordable health care benefits, as did the supermarket employers in Southern California." UFCW and its members rose to the challenge "The UFCW, its local unions and its members rose to the challenge. The employers never believed that workers could sustain a five-month strike. The employers completely underestimated the determination and fortitude of their employees." "If the supermarket giants - profitable, growing Fortune 50 mega-corporations - can launch an attack on health care benefits, then every employer is sure to follow. They have sounded the alarm that the American health care system is ready to collapse." "In one year, over 2 million lost health insurance. That’s over 6,000 workers a day", Doug Dority adds and calls for a national health care reform. "No one company, no one union, no industry or group of workers alone can fix the health care system. We can patch it up. We can protect our members for another contract term, but the system continues to falter, exacting an increasing cost on both workers and employers and leaving more and more families without health care." Health care reform must be put on the political agenda "Now is the time for action. 2004 is the year to put health care reform on the political agenda and demand that every candidate for office commits to comprehensive, affordable health insurance for every working family." "No worker should ever again be forced to choose between a pay check and health care benefits. No worker should ever again be forced into the streets for five months to protect health care for their families." The UFCW will lead the fight for health care reform", the union's President promises. "And, I believe, with members like our Southern California members—the UFCW will win that fight." |
"In
Southern California, workers were given no choice but to fight."
Commenting on the agreement which will now put an end to almost five
months of supermarket workers' strike, UFCW President Doug Dority said
that the strike was "also one
of the most successful strikes in history."