United Food and Commercial Workers Endorse Jim
The Ivey for City Council campaign is proud to announce its endorsement by the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1189. “I deeply appreciate this statement of the need in Ward 2 for a representative who will support all workers and uphold our city's Living Wage ordinance,” said Jim Ivey. “It’s wrong to stereotype any broad category of work as mere 'entry-level jobs.' When I spoke with commercial workers demonstrating at workplaces this summer I heard about many working families who rely on good wages and benefits to stay afloat in this economy.” UFCW Local 1189's Bernie Hesse stated, “Jim gets it that policy needs to benefit all, not just a few. As a former executive and a small-business owner, he gets how to run a business and he also gets the needs and concerns of workers.”
Ivey has consistently advocated for a fair economy, and public policies that raise standards for working families. In April, he testified against the proposal to give a special exemption from the Living Wage ordinance to a private development that involved millions in public subsidy. “Granting an exemption to the Living Wage for an already-thriving business in a successful part of town creates a very dangerous precedent against enforcing this important standard in the future,” Ivey said. “Pitting one group of workers against another in the name of short-term jobs is not the approach I will bring to the office.”
“Instead of focusing on questionable subsidy deals for one-time projects, I will boost a broad network of small enterprises and fight for good, living wage jobs for all workers,” said Ivey. He has proposed starting with a citywide “Shop Local Saint Paul” campaign as a practical step to shift more shopping dollars to locally-owned, independent businesses, and consequently create more jobs. Several studies have shown that three times as much of each dollar spent at a locally-owned business will go back into the local economy when compared to large corporate chains.
Contact: Jim Ivey, Candidate, Ward 2, (651) 665-0224
Bernie Hesse, UFCW Local 1189, (651) 216-3827
