Message from the President Bob Potter

Thank you for your interest in UFCW Local 951, the largest local labor Union in Michigan, and one of the most innovative and aggressive local Unions in the country. Since you’re visiting our Web page, it’s likely that you are either a Local 951 member or someone who is interested in learning more about our organization. In either case, if you still have questions about Local 951 after reading the information presented on our Web site, I encourage you to email your questions to the Local or contact a member of the Local 951 staff at 1-800-999-0951.

Local 951 has a solid history of serving its members and the communities in which they live, dating back to its inception in 1951, when the Local represented just 200 employees working at Meijer, Inc. During the last five decades, Local 951 has grown to include more than 36,000 members. During this period of tremendous growth, Local 951 has remained committed to our mission of protecting and promoting the livelihoods of Local 951 members and improving the communities in which they live and raise families.
I am proud to say that since the current leadership of Local 951 was elected in 1980, Local 951 has worked hard to ensure that every Local 951 member has seen his or her wages steadily rise, receiving pay rates that analysts consider to be among the best in their respective industries in the Midwest. Our commitment to meaningful health and welfare benefits has also proven advantageous for Local 951 members. All but a few members now have access to solid health benefits for themselves and their family after meeting certain qualifying periods. We are continually working to reduce those qualifying periods and to extend benefit coverage for all members. In addition, pension and/or 401(k) plans have been negotiated in every contract to provide stability and security for members during their retirement years.

Many of the other benefits of Local 951 membership are featured on our Web site. In addition to the money-saving UFCW Union Plus benefits and discounts, Local 951 membership includes benefits such as access to a grievance procedure to challenge management decisions, paid breaks, scheduling guarantees, overtime payment, guaranteed paid time off, and promotional opportunities. These benefits of Local 951 membership reflect statistics that are found to be true of Unionization across the board — Union members enjoy higher wages and better benefits than non-Union workers, making joining a Union one of the smartest things a worker can do!
Sincerely and Fraternally,

Robert Potter
Local 951 President

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