[olympiaworkers] Support National Frozen Food Workers-Friday 9/10

Support Nat'l Frozen Foods Workers:
Leafleting for Healthcare and a Voice at Work

Friday, September 10th at 4pm
Rally at the Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Occidental Park
Occidental Ave. S and S Main St. in Downtown Seattle

After the rally, leaflet around Safeco Field before the Mariner's Game

Join Jobs with Justice along with Teamsters locals from around the Northwest for a rally and informational leafleting to inform consumers about what the National Frozen Foods Corporation (NFFC) is doing to its workers at their Chehalis, WA Warehouse.  Over the past three years, NFFC has:

• Cut pay by 16%
• Stripped seasonal workers AND retirees of health care benefits
• Increased the number of hours it takes to qualify for health care, pension benefits and pay increases

These concessions have hit hardest at those least able to afford them, particularly Latino workers and new hires.  A majority of the peak work force is Latino.  NFFC has attempted to strip workers of their voice at work twice since 2004.  Workers beat back these efforts, voting to keep their union (Teamsters Local 252) on both occasions.  On July 14, 2007, NFFC illegally declared bargaining to be at an impasse, and ended their contract with the workers' Union.  The Teamsters have filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. 

Since then, NFFC has denied access to any pension plan for workers aged 18-21, eliminated entry into the defined benefit plan for new hires, stopped the Union grievance process, and put into effect minimal pay increases that come nowhere near making up for recent concessions.

Background:  National Frozen Foods Corporation (NFFC) is one of the five largest private label frozen vegetable processors in the United States.  It is headquartered in Seattle, and operates three processing plants, all in the Pacific Northwest: Chehalis, WA; Albany, OR; and Moses Lake, WA.  The Chehalis and Albany plants are Teamster-represented.  NFFC workers process fresh vegetables for freezing and repackaging for such chains as Boston Market, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Wal-Mart, Sysco Foods, ConAgra and Woodstock Farms, as well as producing their own label, Valamont.  The Chehalis plant employs over 200 workers year-round, and up to 1000 during peak season.  It has been Teamster-represented since 1945.  Most workers have been at the plant for over 10 years, many for over 20 years.