Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we'll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
About 25 members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 400 who work at nearly 30 local FreshFarm farmers markets in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia voted in favor of ratifying their first union contract. This ratification is the first time farmers market workers in the country have secured a collective bargaining agreement. The contract includes higher wages, guaranteed annual raises, vacation time for seasonal employees, improved workplace conditions and safety standards, a labor-management committee to address ongoing concerns, and grievance and arbitration procedures to guarantee just discipline.
“We came together as a collective to improve our working conditions and create good jobs at FRESHFARM,” said Yuval Lev, who has been a FreshFarm market operator for three years. “We’re proud to codify these hard-fought gains in this historic contract and continue doing the work we love to serve the community. A big thank you goes out to everyone who has supported us—our fellow workers, farmers and vendors, and community members. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you at our unionized farmers markets!”