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Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station gets some Smithfield Justice

In the DC Metro system one sees ads done by many different groups. From defense contractors advertising at the Pentagon Metro station to the AMA (who used to oppose universal healthcare) now calling for universal health coverage of some sort. Sometimes you even see good organizations championing their causes in this case, Smithfield Justice.
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Advertising on the DC Metro is a great way to get your message out there to the masses. Which is why it's not surprising that groups do this. Not too long ago I even remember seeing ads at the Metro Center station paid for by CWA Local 14201 talking about the Washington Post and some of the injustices they perpetrate (http://washingtonpostunfair.com/). This morning however as I was exiting one train and going up the escalators to transfer to the next train; I was pleasantly surprised to see a banner paid for by none other than Smithfield Justice (http://www.smithfieldjustice.com/). Smithfield Justice is a project of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. On the ad, in bright yellow letters, we are informed that managers at a Smithfield plant called African American workers the "N' word. They also beat people. We are also urged to not buy Smithfield products. In 1997, when workers at the Tar Hell, NC plant tried to unionize they were threatened and intimidated. On the Smithfiled Justice site we also learn that "Smithfield Foods is the largest pork producer and processor in the world, the fourth largest turkey processor and fifth largest beef processor in the U.S." It is headquartered in the town of Smithfield, Virginia, but its operations stretch across the United States, Mexico, and much of Europe." With all the money they are making you would think they would not treat their workers this way, but sadly with many corporations the opposite is often true. It's good to see Smithfield Justice taking to the Metro and I hope the escalate the campaign in this politically minded city of ours.
 
 
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Re: Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station gets some Smithfield Justice

I apologize for the typos. I rushed to put this up this morning.
 

Re: Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station gets some Smithfield Justice

Does anybody knows the salaries of the UFCW top leadership and, for that matter, the salaries of all the union bosses that play the Washington high-power game? A campaign lead organizer (that doesn't organize shit) can make up to $100.000. A mid-ranking boss can make as much as $200.000 for having endless meetings and attending fucking hearings in Congress. These unions, as they function right now, are nothing but reactionary and capitalist institutions that most of the time hurt workers instead of helping them! All this bullshit is going on with union bureaucracies in Washington while the dues-paying worker at Smithfield, like in many other industries and which pay the salaries of the bosses, gets screwed left and right by the company and betrayed by his union, whichever it may be. Minority and immigrant workers that are easily exploited at Smithfield and in many other industries make misery wages while the union bosses have the audacity to pay themselves CEO salaries. These capitalist and anti-worker practices have to end if justice for workers is to take place and for unions to assume their real role as an entity of workers and not act like corporations. These are the reasons why low-wage workers refuse to join unions and why union membership overall is the lowest ever. It is clear the corporate exploitation of low-wage workers must end, but, at the same time, unions need to look at and check themselves to make sure they are not running the same game on workers as unscrupulous corporations are doing all the time.
 

Re: Re: Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station gets some Smithfield Justice

The UFCW and other labor unions are made up of workers. If you knew anything about the UFCW's top leadership you'd know most of them began as meat cutters and packers and chose to become involved in the union to improve their own working conditions. They work at the UFCW to defend the rights of these same workers, not to make "CEO salaries." In fact, I know at least two members of the executive board have rejected raises in their salaries and took pay cuts because they prioritize where your union dues go. Do some research, the information is out there.
 

These don't look like CEO salaries?

These sure look like higher wages than meatcutters make (some of the most well compensated union employees; this doesn't include those that they contract out and aren't directly employed by the union).

Smithfield is terrible, yes. Workers shouldn't have to withstand abuse and should have the right to organize without fear or intimidation, yes. But this doesn't mean that the union shouldn't be scrutinized, nor does it mean that all employees of the union have the best interests of the workers in mind.
salary benefits total
Joseph Hansen $ 297,790 $ 47,636 $ 345,426
Emps Under $10,000 $ 248,483 $ 58,964 $ 307,447
Michael Fraser $ 199,385 $ 103,069 $ 302,454
Anthony Perrone $ 243,634 $ 33,022 $ 276,656
Alvin Vincent Jr. $ 165,872 $ 101,813 $ 267,685
William Mcdonough $ 222,357 $ 42,302 $ 264,659
Patrick O'neill $ 214,172 $ 40,782 $ 254,954
Warren Barclay $ 165,872 $ 80,940 $ 246,812
Mark Lauritsen $ 175,282 $ 69,517 $ 244,799
Chad Young $ 161,606 $ 78,412 $ 240,018
Christyne Neff $ 214,172 $ 22,361 $ 236,533
Willie Baker, Jr.$ 164,184 $ 66,002 $ 230,186
Alan Spaulding $ 165,872 $ 60,505 $ 226,377
Irene Orozco $ 157,077 $ 66,907 $ 223,984
Lawrence Plumb $ 165,872 $ 45,668 $ 211,540
Richard Whalen $ 165,872 $ 43,603 $ 209,475
Kevin Williamson $ 165,872 $ 40,614 $ 206,486
David Blitzstein $ 165,872 $ 35,604 $ 201,476
 

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Re: Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station gets some Smithfield Justice

Well, those salaries add up to almost $4.5 million for 18 people, for salaries and benefits. That's an average of almost $250,000 for each one of those people. Can we have a link or some other such evidence to prove the validity of those numbers, and that they are timely?

Now, does anyone know whether they pay for their own travel and hotels, spend a lot of time traveling (and thus incur a lot of such expenses) to perform their job duties, or other such things that might significantly influence their actual ultimate pay? Because I have to agree that such wages are a pretty ridiculously high amount to pay.

HALF of that amount per year is still a pretty high salary and benefits package, an average of about $125,000 per person. That's save the union about $2.25 million per year, which could go to reduced dues for union members or other programs.
 

Re: Re: Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro Station gets some Smithfield Justice

http://www.unionfacts.com/unions/unionOfficers.cfm?id=56&year=2006

Travel and related expenses definitely don't go under salary. They *might* be a part of benefits, but work-related travel... I doubt it.

As for the Smithfield CEO, his compensation is $10.8 million:
www.forbes.com/lists/2006/12/UQDU.html

If the choice is between fat-cat unions as no union, I'd take the fat-cat union any day. If the choice is between workers unions and fat-cat unions, I'd take the workers union.
 

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