Great news for UFCW members!  This month, you could win a $1,000 gift card if you register for our UFCW Lifemart discounts, or just sign in to your existing account.  Whether you win or not, you will still be able to use the discounts your UFCW membership gives you that could save you thousands of dollars.  That is more of your hard-earned money in your pocket with just a few clicks.
 
Register or login to enter and save here.
 
That means you are saving on important life costs like child care and education, as well as fun stuff like cosmetics, concert tickets, and vacations—just for being a UFCW member.  We are committed to helping you save more because you deserve a better life for yourself and your family.
 
The UFCW Lifemart sweepstakes is running through the entire month of August, so do not miss your chance to register for a chance to win $1,000.  But remember, you are eligible for UFCW discounts all year long.
 
For more information about all the ways you can take advantage of your UFCW value, go to http://myufcw.org/.
 
Good luck!

(Aug. 9, 2018) — Today, members of the Washington Federation of State Employees, AFSCME Council 28 are having a Fair Pay and Real Opportunity Day of Action with WFSE bargaining teams that are currently negotiating wages, rights and working conditions holding Unity Breaks across the state.

TAKE A STAND — All union members and community supporters of quality public services can stand in unity with state employees today by contacting Gov. Jay Inslee. Send an email to the governor urging him to agree to fair pay and affordable health care for all state employees. And tell him it’s time to address their rising out-of-pocket costs.
Washington’s dedicated state employees care for the sick and elderly, keep our communities safe, maintain our roads, protect our parks and environment, and provide many other essential public services. But WFSE reports that 87% of our state employees are behind market rate for wages.

That’s partly because of pay cuts, freezes and other sacrifices these public employees made during the last economic downturn. It’s time to close the gap on pay for state employees!

Please send an email to Gov. Inslee today urging him to agree to fair pay and affordable health care for all state employees.

Short URL: http://www.thestand.org/?p=68869

The US Supreme Court just issued a ruling attacking public employees' freedom to join strong unions. WPEA members are responding by gathering at rallies around the state today to show that we're sticking together, no matter what the court says.
​In response to today’s ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, WPEA President Kent Stanford issued the following statement:
“WPEA members have worked together for over 60 years to negotiate for better wages, better lives, and better public services. No Supreme Court case or political attack is going to stop that.
“Unions are the great counterweight to corporate special interests and the wealthy elite, and to employers when they fail to recognize good working people.  Our own state’s history shows that if corporate billionaires are left unchecked, the government will sacrifice our members’ salaries and ignore our hard work, just to protect corporate tax loopholes. There must be someone to stand up for working people and present our points of view. After all, we do the work and we know how it benefits the public.
“WPEA members will keep fighting. We’ll fight to protect our members’ pension plan, we’ll fight for the cost of our health care, we’ll fight for our vacation and sick leave, we’ll fight for a flexible work schedule, and we’ll fight for better wages.
“We’ve come too far to turn back the clock on protections for working people.”