Brian P. Truini Elected Local 371 President

We are proud to announce that at our Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, Sept 30th, Brian Truini was elected as the President of Local 371 to fulfill the remainder of Pres. Petronella’s term. Raised in a Local 371 household, and a UFCW member and leader since 1980, Brian has dedicated his life to advancing the rights of working people. Brian has an unmatched attention to detail and a passion for making sure every event, organizing campaign or contract negotiation is handled with precision and care.Always ready to take on the boss and fight for fairness, Brian hasn’t met a fight he wasn’t willing to face head on, and his skill and tenacity make him exactly the leader our union needs to guide us through the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Keri Hoehne elected to serve as Secretary Treasurer

On September 30th, Keri Hoehne was elected to succeed Brian Truini as Secretary Treasurer for the remainder of his term, becoming the first woman to hold the position in Local 371’s 85 year history. The daughter of a Local 371 member and a UAW member, Keri was once a recipient of the Local 371 Scholarship. She began her career as an intern organizing supermarkets, then returned to CT to join Local 371, serving in many roles over the past 23 years. Keri is passionate about lifting up workers’ stories to win stronger contracts, expand organizing, advance pro-worker legislation, and strengthen public support for unions. Guided by her belief that there is always a way to “get to yes,” she and President Truini bring complementary skills that keep Local 371 moving forward and well-positioned for the future.

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Back Pay Grievance Settled at ACME in Riverside

Local 371 recently won 33 hours of back pay for part-timer O’Brian, who was scheduled less than the contractual 16 hour minimum for several weeks. This grievance is a perfect example of the importance of making sure every member knows the contract and knows who to contact when a violation arises. O’Brian is pictured with his steward Liz. Thanks for showing it pays to belong, O’Brian!

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Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Workers Ratify Groundbreaking Union Contract

UFCW Local 371 Ben & Jerry’s Members Negotiate Significant Wage Increases, Health Care Improvements

Waterbury, Vt. – More than 300 Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream workers at the St. Albans and Waterbury production facilities, who are members of theUnited Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 371, ratified their first union contract by an overwhelming majority vote. 

Jeff Johnson, St. Albans Ben & Jerry’s bargaining committee member with 23 years seniority, said the following: 

“I’m so proud of my co-workers for sticking together and demanding better.  The union difference is clear and joining  UFCW Local 371 will make a huge difference for us. Joining the union’s health insurance and getting consistent wages means hundreds more in each of my co-worker’s checks each month, and protecting our retirement and our paid time off gives us the security we need in uncertain times.”

Bernie Sweet, Jr., Waterbury Ben & Jerry’s bargaining committee member with seven years seniority, said the following: 

“After a long organizing campaign and long negotiations, we are starting in the right direction to recapturing a time in the past when employees were happy and lining up the door for jobs and the company’s production goals were being exceeded.”

Contract Highlights

Most notably, the three-year contract allows workers to enter into the union’s health insurance plan, which includes medical, prescription, dental, and optical coverage and a cost savings of up to $8,000 a year in weekly premiums alone. The contract also guarantees 14 percent wage increases over the next three years, with a 16 percent pay raise between now and April 27, and a move towards a hybrid eight and 12 hour shift pattern, giving members more flexibility to balance the needs of their families with the needs of the plant.

Additional contract terms include: 

• Protection of workers’ 401(k) plan with a 9 percent company match
• Six months of paid short term disability and six additional months of long-term disability 
• Paid parental leave 
• Longevity based ratification bonuses of up to $2,000

Background

Workers at the Waterbury and St. Albans plants won union recognition by way of card check in January and March of this year through an existing global agreement with Ben & Jerry’s parent company, Unilever, that establishes union neutrality and card check recognition at all Unilever worksites. 

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Still River Wellness in Torrington Becomes the First Cannabis Dispensary to Ratify Union Contract with Local 371

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 371 is proud to announce the workers at Still River Wellness in Torrington recently ratified their first union contract.Still River Wellness workers are just the latest in the CT cannabis industry to negotiate a union contract and join a growing union movement of a cannabis workers in CT.

The workers at Still River Wellness in Torrington secured a two- year contract with an increase of six paid days off, significant wage increases, an increase in the employee discount, and access to union health insurance. 

“Local 371 UFCW represents workers not only in cannabis, but also in food processing, retail, healthcare, casinos, and many service industries.  As a resident of Torrington, I am absolutely thrilled to have our city be home to another responsible union employer who ensures that Torrington jobs are quality jobs”, said Keri Hoehne, Executive Vice President of UFCW Local 371.

“I have always liked my job at Still River Wellness.  Have the security that a union contract can provide, plus having the backing of tens of thousands of other unionized cannabis workers who are members of the UFCW’s Cannabis Workers Rising just ensures that I can build a career at Still River that will be here long into the future.”, said Ashley Corrie, a member of the union’s bargaining committee. 

The UFCW partners with cannabis workers, patients, consumers, community allies, elected officials and business owners to achieve the shared goals of creating an industry with family-sustaining jobs and a focus on social equity.  Through these partnerships and worker organizing, the UFCW’s Cannabis Workers Rising division has been able to set standards throughout the industry in our union contracts. 

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