FOODLINK
UNITED

Over the past year, staff across every department have gathered to discuss what we love about our work and how our current workplace conditions negatively impact our ability to carry out Foodlink’s mission. We love working at Foodlink and want to make it better. Forming a union strengthens our pursuit of Foodlink’s mission and vision. Therefore, we requested voluntary recognition of our union, and we authorize OPEIU Local 153 to represent us for collective bargaining.

 

No one is more committed to Foodlink’s mission of ending hunger than we are, and forming a union demonstrates our commitment to Foodlink’s values. We put our lives on the line to feed our neighbors during a global pandemic. We have a deep and intimate understanding of our programs and services, and what we need to be successful in carrying them out. We have more than 130 combined years of service to this organization; it is this expertise and experience that drives our collective decision-making.

 

We are forming a union to ensure safety, stability, solidarity, and a seat at the table.

 

Safety. We have a right and responsibility to have a say in our own safety. We are front-line workers in the fight against hunger and poverty, and our work puts us at a greater risk of injury and illness. We know what we need to be safe on the job, whether that’s delivering food, packing meals, or working from home. Decisions that impact worker health and safety must be made with worker input.

 

Stability. Foodlink is an at-will employer, and that threat undermines every management-led initiative that claims to increase transparency and accountability. Currently, management can change policies in the employee handbook unilaterally and with no notice. This creates a climate of fear. We are unionizing to end at-will employment and ensure that the processes around termination, discipline, and advancement are clearly understood and equitably applied across the entire organization. 

 

Solidarity. We commend management’s efforts to move Foodlink toward being an anti-racist organization. Unions have been empirically shown to be one of the most effective tools in closing racial and gender wage gaps. Unionized workers make 11% higher wages than their non union peers, and have stronger workplace protections. This increases for workers of color and women; Black, Latinx, and workers who identify as women are paid 26%, 39.2%, and 23.8% more, respectively, when they belong to a union (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020). Putting people first means that everybody has the tools they need to succeed and grow at work.

 

A Seat at the Table. We are experts in our fields, through our professional and lived experiences. We are unionizing to ensure that our expertise informs the strategic development and progress of this organization. As new variants arise and we continue to evolve our understanding of life in “unprecedented times,” we must lean in and establish policies that put power behind our front-line workers and accountability for the high standards set for us. This is how we will value the staff stakeholder experience. By unionizing, we create clear, effective, and safe channels for direct communication between workers and management, and this will only make Foodlink stronger.

 

Unionizing is good for Foodlink. Workers finding their voices, caring for each other, and building a brighter future together is good for Foodlink. Our union is built on Compassion, Innovation, Collaboration, Agility, and Stewardship and wants to ensure we adhere to those values in all ways. Our union is committed to organizational agility, stakeholder experience, and anti-racism. Protecting the rights of workers hinders none of these things.

 

After a full year of discussion, the majority of Foodlink's eligible staff have made the decision to form a union. The collective bargain process will result in clear and equitable policies that benefit all levels of the organization, including the managers who implement them. We are in this together: join us.