A Century of Fighting for Local 338 Members!

This year marks the 100th anniversary of RWDSU Local 338 being officially charted as a union, a milestone that deserves enormous celebration and congratulations to all the members past and present that have made this possible. Like all organizing stories Local 338’s didn’t begin with its charter, but years before that with a small group of workers that came together to organize and fight for a better and safer workplace. 

The founding members of Local 338 that came together over 100 years ago were a group of Jewish immigrants working in the grocery industry who were facing grueling hours, low pay, and unsafe working conditions. With support and solidarity from the labor movement, especially from the United Hebrew Trades Council and the Teamsters, Local 338 began to expand their organizing across the grocery and food industry in New York City, gaining its charter in 1925 and now representing over 13,000 members across New York and New Jersey. As their core industries and the organizing environment has changed, Local 338 chose to adapt and to organize and now represents members not only in the grocery and retail food industry but also pharmacists, human services workers, bus drivers and cannabis workers. 

For 100 years Local 338 has stayed true to their mission: To better the lives of their members and all working people. This hasn’t just meant winning industry leading contracts, organizing the unorganized and representing members. It has meant standing up for what is right and speaking out against oppression. In the early years of the union, Local 338 was one of the earliest voices in the labor movement to speak out against Nazi Germany and the rise of fascism across Europe. Local 338 was also one of the first unions to publicly support the Civil Rights Movement and not only joined Dr. King in the March on Washington, but also made conscious efforts to educate members on how the struggles of the labor movement were intertwined with the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement.  

Bettering the lives of all working people has also meant that Local 338 has also been committed to giving back to the communities their members and their families call home. From running blood drives during World War II and in the aftermath of 9/11, to supporting cleanup efforts after hurricane Sandy, in the toughest times Local 338 leadership and members have stepped up to support their communities. Local 338’s charity and community work has not been limited to times of crisis though, with annual back to school drives, Thanksgiving turkey drives, and more a fixture on the union calendar. Local 338 was also the first RWDSU local to create an annual scholarship program for members and their children, and since its inception the program has given hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships to help members and their families achieve their dreams of pursuing higher education. 

Local 338 has not only been a crucial voice for their members but an integral part of the RWDSU family. The first President of the local, Samuel Wolchok, helped to found the RWDSU and stepped down from his position at Local 338 to become the first President of the RWDSU. Congratulations to all the members past and present of Local 338 for organizing and fighting to reach this milestone, yours is a history that is inspiring and deserves celebration!