Q: How were you introduced to union organizing?
A: My father worked at the steel mill in Pueblo. Although I really did not know what a union was, I knew it was helping my father and my family. I remember living in Del Norte during a nine- month strike. My mother also worked at (a hospital) and was represented by a union.
Q: Had you ever worked in a place where there was no union?
A: Several. I worked on ranches when I was young. I also worked for an independent grocery store, a restaurant and a tire shop. I worked at the Alpha Beta packinghouse, which did have a union, but I was not represented as I was a summer relief worker during my college years. During law school, I worked for a private law firm, a county attorney, library, public defender and the National Labor Relations Board.
After law school, I was represented by a union as an attorney at the National Labor Relations Board.
Q: What has been the biggest victory for food workers in recent years?
A: The workers have maintained affordable health benefits, retirement security and livable wages. Some members do not have to pay anything for their health benefits. Most have pension plans which will sustain them during the retirement years.
Q: What is a major issue facing food workers?
A: Ask any plant worker what their No. 1 work issue is, and they will tell you it is line speed — workers standing next to other workers must perform work, often with knives, as fast as the chain is running.
Reasonable line speeds are good for the workers because they are safer. They are good for the consumers because it increases food safety. When the line speeds are excessive, it increases the likelihood of foreign materials getting in the product.
Q: Are food workers different from other unionized groups in any way?
A: One advantage most of our members have is their jobs cannot be shipped overseas. The workers at Safeway, King Soopers, Albertsons and City Market need to be here in order to sell groceries to the citizens of Colorado and Wyoming. The same is true for our health care members. You cannot treat patients from India.
Q: What impact can the new president and changing political climate have on unions, if any?
A: It depends on who (the president) is. If Barack Obama wins, I believe he will make fundamental change. He will stop the corporate agenda . . . an agenda that allows our jobs to be shipped oversees, an agenda that exploits immigrants.
Q: What do you tell people who question the benefits of working in a unionized company?
A: The most important thing they have to sell is their labor. They should have a contract which gives them rights and protections. All of the corporate CEOs have contracts. Indeed, a corporation would not have a shed built without having a contract.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: I spend as much time as I can with my family. My wife, Teresa, and I have been together for 28 years. We have three children — Ernie, Crisanta and Caroll.
I am now a grandfather. My grandson, Sean, is a real treat. . . . We love to fish, hunt, ride Harleys and spent time on my parents’ ranch.
Edited for length and clarity by Karen Rouse
