In Tough Times, Your Union is with You

When you’re excited to see gas under $4 a gallon, you know times are tough. Negotiating good contracts and making sure members get all the benefits and protections the contracts contain are central focuses for any union, but UFCW 951 wants to be more.

The challenges you face don’t stop at the walls of your workplace and, as 951 President Marv Russow has said, your Union’s help shouldn’t either. That’s why 951 continues to develop its Community Services Department. Full-time Community Services Reps Joanie Huddleston and Jackie Daugherty work with 951’s members across the state on so many different projects that we wanted to highlight some of them here.

Members Helping Members
Joanie and Jackie report that they’ve been helping members run one or two fundraisers each week to help fellow Union members facing medical emergencies, losing a place to live, or serious issues with a spouse or dependent. “While we can’t help everyone who needs it, we try to focus first on cases where a member is facing loss and has little income to help,” says Joanie Huddleston.

According to Jackie Daugherty, “It’s tough to talk about all of what we do because we don’t want to violate anyone’s privacy. The main thing to remember is your contributions to the 951 Foundation is what helps fund these efforts to help members in need. The more members who contribute, the more members we can help.”

Examples of 951-sponsored events include:
• Randy Bigelow fundraiser in Holland on April 14 raised nearly $3,000 (pictured to the right). Randy, husband of 951 member Terry Bigelow, collapsed while refereeing a school basketball game in February.
• Relay For Life Fundraiser at Meijer 179 on May 16

Part of 951’s revamping of its Steward program, a new type of Steward-the Community Service Steward-is also assisting Jackie and Joanie with member outreach in each workplace. If you are interested in being a Community Service Steward, please contact your Union Rep.

Member Outings
• Over 100 members went to Greektown Casino trip on June 24 and had a great time, even though nobody won enough to retire. Look for another casino trip being planned for the future.
• Lansing Lugnuts baseball Union night, July 26
• Detroit Zoo outing, July 30
• Binder Park Zoo and United Way Fundraiser, August 24
• Skeetshooting Leukemia fundraiser, Metamora, MI, September 11
• If you have ideas for other member outings, please contact Joanie Huddleston or Jackie Daugherty at the phone numbers at the end of this article.

Possible 951 Veterans’ Committee
Some members have asked about forming a group of 951 members who are serving or have served in the military. If you are a veteran and are interested in getting together with other vets from your Union and working on issues of concern to workers who are veterans, let us know by calling Jackie or Joanie at the phone numbers below.

951 Foundation Scholarships
Winners for the 2008-2009 school year are located on page 2.

Member Discount Cards
Anyone who contributes to the UFCW’s Active Ballot Club (ABC) or the UFCW Local 951 Foundation is eligible to receive a PerksCard discount card. If you give money to either and don’t have a PerksCard yet, please see your Union Steward or contact Joanie (if you live in western Michigan) or Jackie (if in eastern Michigan).

Some members ask where their Foundation contributions go. After reading this article, you have a few ideas about what the 951 Foundation does for 951 members. You can easily save back what you contribute to the ABC or 951 Foundation through using the PerksCard. But even without this perk, your donations make a real difference to working families who need help most.
If you haven’t considered giving to the ABC or Foundation before, please consider it now.

To Get Involved or For More Information...
Contact 951’s Community Service Representatives call 800.999.0951 and press
101 for Jackie Daugherty
141 for Joanie Huddleston