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History:
In 1935, a journeyman meat cutter working in the
retail stores in the Quad City area asked his employer to be excused
from work the following Saturday to get married. His request was
denied and he took the day off without permission, and was fired.
On that day, Jasper Rose (the founder of our District Local Union)
started to organize a union for the Quad City area and Clinton,
Iowa.
On August 3, 1936, (with 83 members) Jasper Rose
received a charter from the Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher
Workmen of North America, AFL. Jasper Rose was elected as the first
principal officer, Secretary-Treasurer & Business Manager. Vern
Hudson was elected as the first President of District Local 431.
By 1938 the District Local Union had over 700
members and Jasper Rose was hired as the first paid full-time Union
Representative. The Local achieved signed contracts with many of
the retail employers, reducing the work week from 60 hours to 48
hours, and establishing wage increases, work rules, seniority, and
a grievance procedure.
In 1947, about 600 members created the Voluntary
Death Benefit Fund and set up the rules to govern it.
By 1960, the District Local had established a
Credit Union (which later merged into the Alcoa Employees Credit
Union) and a Health & Welfare Fund for the retail stores.
In February 1975, Des Moines, Iowa, Local 367
of the AMC&BW merged into District Local 431.
Our first major strike came in 1978. The retail employers formed
an association with the understanding that if the union would strike
one employer, the rest of the employers would lock out our members.
With temperatures at 20 below 0 and blizzard conditions, District
Local 431 went on strike against Eagle Food stores. Immediately,
our members were locked out at A & P, Jewel Foods, Krogers,
Geifmans, and Randalls Supermarkets. Hundreds of Retail Clerks and
Teamsters honored our picket lines at Eagles. The major chain stores
imported and hired workers to replace our strikers and supporters
who were honoring our picket line. Hundreds of our members from
other units came out in support with financial contributions and
walked the picket line. Within three weeks, the contract was settled
without any concessions.
Just one year later, another major strike took
place with Oscar Mayer, Davenport, Iowa. The union's issue was job
security. Once again, the employer found out there was more involved
than just Oscar Mayer, Davenport, Iowa. Hundreds of thousands of
dollars were donated by our other units to help pay for health insurance
and other emergency needs of the strikers. After a long four weeks
of striking, an agreement was reached granting the industry settlement,
with the additions of a double pension for employees who qualified
if a department or plant closed, inter-plant transfers between the
Madison and Davenport Oscar Mayer plants, and restrictions on sub-contracting
language.
In 1979 a merger was consummated between the International
Unions of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters & Butcher Workmen of
N.A. and the Retail Clerks, creating the largest International Union
within the AFL-CIO, the United Food & Commercial Workers International
Union.
In November 1985, UFCW Local 46, Waterloo, Iowa,
and UFCW Local 1470, Quad Cities area, merged into District Local
431.
Our latest merger took place in June 2001,
with Locals 150A, Dubuque, Iowa, and 166G, Waterloo, Iowa, merging
into District Local 431.
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