Jo Fischer
Ryan Van Domelen
Megan NicolFight
to Win
The Fight to Win slate believes our contracts must be better. We have the lowest wages on the West Coast, and we believe we can change that. We need leadership that works in the stores and we need our Union run by people who have depended on our contracts for their livelihood. When you tell us your problem, we will not tell you that there is nothing we can do to help, and walk away. We will instead fight back with every tool at our disposal. For stronger contracts and real representation, vote for the Fight to Win slate!
Respect our Work
We have spent our lives working in the stores that our Union represents – we know how hard you work, and believe your paycheck should reflect it
- Our wages should reflect that our work is a profession, not a summer job
- Meat-cutters and our plant maintenance crews must be treated and paid like the tradespeople they are
- Improve dental coverage and work to eliminate tiered insurance levels— no more waiting to cover your spouse or get glasses
- Our Union should be led by someone who has worked in at least one of the stores, plants, shops, or hospitals that make up our union
More Hours for Retail
Higher wages are great, but without consistent hours we can still fall behind
- Fight for more pathways to full-time 40-hour work in grocery stores
- Increase the minimum hour guarantee in retail contracts
- Shorten the hours it takes to make journey wages – it takes too long to climb the apprentice steps
Our Politics
We need to stop wasting our hard-earned dues money on expensive consultants that bring our Union no real value
- Build a political program that is focused on putting more money in our pockets and making our workplaces safer, not laws that never see the light of day
- Stop paying incompetent lobbyists millions of dollars a year to lose campaigns and bust unions
- Dan picked fights with our union neighbor that brought us no value and wasted our money
No Dues for Booze
Spend our hard-earned money on our contract fights and helping members, not first-class airline tickets, alcohol, and parties
- Pass a policy that will permanently end using dues money for alcohol at any union function
- End the $30,000 Christmas Party for staff and Dan’s friends at the downtown Portland Marriott
- We need more union staff in the field supporting you and helping to enforce your contract, not getting paid to sit behind a desk and twiddle their thumbs
Better Staff, More Engagement
How many times have you heard phrases like “go talk to HR” and “the company can do that” from a union rep?
- Staff should not only be looking out for contract violations, but anything that erodes our dignity, rights, or safety at work
- After ratification, contracts should be in the hands of members right away
- Staff shouldn’t be making the boss’ argument for them. We will take the money wasted elsewhere and funnel it straight into holding the company to our contracts
Fight Harder
Members must be organized and ready to stick it to the boss in any circumstance
- Never be afraid to use our biggest weapon: the strike
- Prioritize helping workers without a union in their efforts to join our Union, because we are stronger together
- Stewards are the backbone of the union and should be trained and involved in every aspect of our union
Ryan Van Domelen
Ryan grew up on a dairy farm in North Plains, and started his career in grocery when he was still in school. Ryan spent years working in the stores between Fred Meyer and New Seasons, before starting to work at UFCW 555 to help non-union workers join our union.
Ryan is a fierce advocate who believes that our members deserve to be represented by someone who knows what it is like to work in the grocery stores and try to live off of grocery wages. Ryan saw firsthand how some staff at the Union, including the current leadership, are too quick to waste members’ dues and are more interested in getting along with the company than in standing up for what’s right. Ryan will change this.
Jo Fischer
From Molalla, Jo worked for Fred Meyer almost 35 years in apparel and then later in the Reclamation Center. She knows retail better than anyone.
Don’t let her mild-mannered exterior fool you – as Field Staff Director at the local, Jo is a pitbull in the trenches with the experience to back it up. She knows that when the union is run well it can make a huge difference.
Megan Nicol
Born and raised in Portland, Megan is a 14-year Fred Meyer and Safeway veteran, and she worked as a union representative at UFCW 555.
As an experienced and dedicated advocate, Megan fought every grievance tooth-and-nail and was known for never backing down. Megan looks forward to continuing to fight for our members and using every opportunity to push for better working conditions.
Executive Board
55 years of retail experience
“All of us have depended on our union contracts to make rent and put food on the table. But we know that there’s still very little left over at the end of the month for most members in our union. It’s time for that to change, and it will take every one of us to fight for it.”— Ryan, Jo, Megan, and the Fight to Win Slate