RWDSU Local 1102 has long stood for improving the lives of its members on the job and in their communities. That commitment was on full display this year as the union celebrated the achievements of its Paulette Fialkoff-Amodeo Scholarship recipients. These awards highlight not only the hard work and aspirations of Local 1102 members and their families but also the union’s belief in investing in the future.

Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01), recently introduced the American Protein Processing Modernization Act, which would provide a permanent framework to increase poultry and pork line speeds, a clear danger to workers and America’s food supply. Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which represents over 15,000 poultry workers at facilities across the southern United States, as well as meatpacking and processing workers in other parts of the country issued the following statement:

Members of the RWDSU Southeast Council at Autoneum in Aiken, South Carolina are making a difference in their community by ensuring local students have the tools they need to succeed. As the new school year began, Autoneum members came together to fill backpacks with school supplies for students at North Aiken Elementary School.

Three years ago, a handful of workers started having quiet conversations in between unloading trucks and setting up stalls. They work at GrowNYC, a nonprofit organization that facilitates greenmarkets, farmstands, gardens, and educational programs across New York City to provide community-enriching services. Workers keep farmers markets running, connect communities with healthy food, and support environmental education year-round, which includes providing fresh, local food access, running community gardens and teaching spaces, and delivering sustainability and nutrition education to New Yorkers in all five boroughs.