UFCW 3000 Denounces Attack on Freedom of Speech & Assembly, Demands Release of Mahmoud Khalil

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 14, 2025

UFCW 3000 Denounces Attack on Freedom of Speech and Assembly, Demands Release Mahmoud Khalil

DES MOINES, WA - UFCW 3000, the largest private sector union in the Pacific Northwest, demands the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil, a recent Columbia graduate, lawful permanent resident, and expectant father who the Trump Administration arrested and indefinitely detained for participating in pro-Palestine protests. 

Our union denounces this flagrant attack on immigrants and on the bedrock constitutional rights of due process, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly.

We see Trump’s promise to use federal enforcement agencies as a weapon against anyone who participates in demonstrations he doesn't like as a textbook authoritarian tactic to crush those who speak out against his agenda and the billionaire class it serves.

“We will not be cowed,” said Faye Guenther, UFCW 3000 President. “We will continue to fight against this anti-immigrant, anti-worker, anti-American assault on our fundamental freedoms.”

Member Story: After Confronting Management Over Armed Robberies, Members Continue Fight for Safer Safeway

Pine Hurst Safeway activists Jane Wynn, Annette Wilde, Lailanie Stamper, Maria Austin, and Kalen Wright

Working the self-checkout area ranks as one of the toughest jobs in our grocery stores, mostly because running these departments with skeleton crews forces cashiers to serve multiple customers and to deal with multiple problems at the same time. The working conditions are more than just frustrating—they can be dangerous, too.

Safeway cashiers Lailanie Stamper and Maria Austin experienced this problem firsthand. One October morning at the self-checkout stands, a man displayed a gun and then demanded that Stamper open the cash drawer, she said. In the same store’s liquor department just a few months later, a man flashed a knife at Austin and demanded alcohol.

These interactions shook their confidence in the company’s ability to keep them and their co-workers safe.

"It's not safe anymore, working alone in the morning," Stamper said.

"I'm scared to come to work," Austin added. "I feel hopeless. I need the money, so I need to work, but I am afraid this is going to happen again.”

Rather than wait for the company to get around to maybe doing something about safety in the stores, after the knife incident the two workers decided to take action. They tapped UFCW 3000 Shop Steward Kalen Wright and other coworkers to start a petition demanding in-store security during all open hours, increased staffing on the front end, and a new system that alerts workers to any incident involving a weapon within 24 hours.

Union workers taking action at Pine Hurst Safeway for a safer store

After gathering the signatures of more than 80% of the store’s workers, they presented their petition to Store Director Brenda Swarts. Shortly after that, management increased the store’s security.

Unfortunately, Safeway has since pulled out the extra security. The Pinehurst Safeway crew isn’t giving up, though. They’re continuing to fight for a safer Safeway. UPDATE: Safeway has once again put in store security back in the store. But this fight is ongoing at this and every retail location.

In addition to helping them in this struggle, the rest of us can lighten their load by fighting for a contract that ensures better staffing throughout our stores, particularly in self-checkout areas. According to one recent Harvard University study, compared to traditional checkout, self-checkout machines increase negative interactions with customers by 40%. These machines also increase chronic understaffing in stores by 26%.

That study—and our lived experience—shows us that the path to safer stores runs right through better staffing. To win it, we need to communicate with each other, stand together, and take action.

UFCW 3000 Stands Ready to Boycott Air Travel in Response to Trump Admin’s Attack on TSA Union

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
March 7, 2024 

Press Release: UFCW 3000 Stands Ready to Boycott Air Travel in Response to Trump Admin’s Attack on TSA Union   

DES MOINES, WA – UFCW 3000, the largest private sector union in the Pacific Northwest, condemns the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to illegally dissolve its collective bargaining contract with 47,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers organized with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE). 

Our union views the Administration’s action as an egregious violation of workers’ basic right to participate in a democracy. TSA workers democratically voted to organize their workplace, they democratically voted to ratify their contract, and this Administration has now undemocratically silenced those voices.  

In response, our union stands ready to support any actions initiated by our union siblings in the TSA, including a boycott on air travel and work stoppages of any kind.  

“This Administration's agenda becomes clearer every day. Its goal is to eliminate all democratic institutions from our lives, plunder money from workers, and funnel as much of it as possible to the corporate and billionaire class,” said UFCW 3000 President Faye Guenther. “Workers will not allow Trump and the billionaire class to profit from the destruction of our hard-won rights.”