Sacramento, CA – Today, as lawmakers return to Sacramento for the beginning of the 2023-2024 legislative session, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Western States Council released its 2022 Year in Review and California Legislative Scorecard, which evaluates how legislators voted on issues important to UFCW members in the past legislative session. Bills that promote and increase workplace safety, advance workers’ rights, fight discrimination in the cannabis industry, and protect workers’ health were among the key issues considered as UFCW evaluated California’s elected officials’ voting records in the 2021-2022 legislative session. 

Demonstrating the effectiveness of UFCW members in communicating their values and priorities to lawmakers, 70 legislators scored 100% on issues important to California’s workers. See each legislator’s scores here: ufcwwest.org/scorecard.

Amber Baur, executive director, UFCW Western States Council, released the following statement:

“The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed our world; the ways we connect, communicate, and live will likely never be the same. For workers in the food, healthcare and cannabis industries, the pandemic forever transformed our workplaces; our lives, and our family members’ were on the line. But together, we’ve shown the world that a union card means more than just higher wages and benefits. We will persevere in fighting for the critical benefits and protections working families need to do their jobs – from increased paid sick leave, ensured health benefits to industry-wide safety standards.

“During the next legislative session we’ll stand together to ensure California’s elected leaders uphold our progressive principles and value the hard work of UFCW members. We’ll continue to work with our elected leaders in Sacramento and statewide, the Administration, state agencies and boards and interested stakeholders and organizations to stand together for justice, for workers and our future.

“Because when we stand together, we WIN.”

See how each legislator scored here: ufcwwest.org/scorecard.

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Sacramento, CA – The United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council today announced that the Executive Board has elected Mark Ramos, president, UFCW Local 1428, to serve as president of the council. Ramos will be the first Latino president to serve the 200,000 members of UFCW Western States Council. Ramos’ presidency will be from January 1, 2023 until December 31, 2024. 

“Workers are transforming this country through our unions; we are leading a resurgence in organizing, winning family-uplifting contracts, and electing candidates who share our commitment to equity and inclusion,” said Mark Ramos, who was instrumental in winning historic, nation-leading contracts for 60,000 grocery workers in Southern California earlier this year. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the UFCW Western States Council and to work with Amber and our members at a historic and pivotal time for the labor movement. As a Latino and a longtime grocery worker, I bring to this role a deep commitment to ensure every UFCW member feels represented and a passion to improve the lives of every member and their family; it’s by standing together in our union that we will transform California and create opportunities for our children and build better communities.”  

Ramos began his career in 1987 as a courtesy clerk for Alpha Beta in Azusa, California. Subsequently, he was promoted to grocery clerk and night crew manager. By 2001, Ramos had earned a reputation for union activism and Local 1428 asked him to join its full-time staff to fight to improve the lives of working families. He quickly moved up the ranks, serving as a medical benefits representative, organizer, union representative, community organizer, political director and secretary-treasurer. Mark has been instrumental in electing worker friendly candidates to all levels of government, he became president of the local in 2014 after serving as campaign manager for Senator Connie Leyva (Ret). Ramos is an active member of the Pomona Democratic Club and serves on the board of Inland Empire Future Leaders. In 2015, he was appointed to the Los Angeles County Consumer Affairs Advisory Commission. In 2017, he was elected as a regional director for the California Democratic Party and currently serving his third term.

“I look forward to leading UFCW Western States Council with Mark. His passion for working families and experience at every level of our union will be such an asset to the Council,” said Amber Baur, executive director, UFCW Western States Council. “Together we’ll fight for all workers to have good healthcare, good, quality jobs and ensure workers’ rights are protected. The work the council does to help hard-working families is more critical than ever as California goes into an economic downturn. With Mark’s help, I know we’ll expertly navigate these challenges and provide relief for working people.

“I want to thank outgoing president Andrea Zinder who was instrumental in protecting our members from the COVID-19 pandemic and winning nation-leading safety protections for essential workers,” continued Baur. “These past three years presented unprecedented challenges, and our council’s work during this time truly saved lives and left workers and their families stronger.”

The UFCW Western States Council’s leadership team is:

• President: Mark Ramos, president, UFCW Local 1428 
• Secretary-Treasurer: Kirk Vogt, secretary-treasurer, UFCW Local 8-Golden State
• Recorder: Andrea Zinder, president, UFCW Local 324 
• Executive Director: Amber Baur

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October 10, 2022

UFCW Western States Council condemns all forms of racism and discrimination, whether in the labor movement, in our government institutions, or in the workplaces our local unions represent. The anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and homophobia we heard on the tape of a conversation with then Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez, Councilmembers Gil Cedillo and Kevin de León and former Los Angeles Federation of Labor Ron Hererra are a direct affront to the working people these officials were elected to represent; they have no place in our labor movement or in our government. 

UFCW is a multi-racial and inclusive union; it is this solidarity that defines our fights for justice and equity; it is the foundation of members’ power to change their lives and uplift our communities. These values drive our fight against anti-Black racism and all forms of hate and discrimination as we advocate for pro-worker policies in Sacramento. While we are devastated that the leaders we entrusted as our partners in this fight have instead chosen to divide us, we are guided by our members’ belief that our unions, and our cities are stronger when we stand together. It is through solidarity that we will heal.