South Dakota Democratic Party Staff Votes to Unionize
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – In a unanimous vote, South Dakota Democratic Party staff voted to authorize the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union 304A (UFCW) as their collective bargaining representative. In so doing, the SDDP joins a growing movement among state Democratic party staff and Democratic campaign staff to unionize.
“As the former president of the Sioux Falls Education Association, I am pleased our staff has decided to unionize,” said South Democratic Party Chair Ann Tornberg. “We believe that South Dakota’s economy should work for everyone, not just those at the top, and part of that means allowing workers to organize, to bargain collectively, and to earn livable wages. By unionizing, our staff is showing that our values are not just something we talk about, they are something we live out and fight for every day.”
BJ Motley, President UFCW Local 304A, said, “UFCW Local 304A is excited to welcome the staff of the South Dakota Democratic Party into the Union Family. Freedom and Equality begin in the workplace, and we are proud that the young staff of the SDDP has made this historic decision to bring their principles of unity and working class solidarity, into the South Dakota Democratic Party.”
“We are witnessing the beginning of a nationwide wave of Union Organizing,” said Kooper Caraway, President Sioux Falls AFL-CIO. “And Young Workers are leading that wave. In the past two years, nearly 1 million new workers have joined or organized unions in their workplace and 70% of those workers were under 35. We are very proud of the staff of the South Dakota Democratic Party for joining with their Brothers and Sisters across the nation in fighting for Good Jobs, Living Wages, and Dignity at work.”
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 304A is the largest and most diverse AFL-CIO affiliated union in South Dakota.
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