What is a labor union? And who is the UFCW 3000?
A union is a separate, third-party organization that represents employees in the workplace and is funded through membership dues collected from members’ paychecks. The union negotiates a contract that covers EVERY eligible employee at a location, whether they voted for the union or not. The union — not Mud Bay — determines the amount to be paid in dues. The union – not Mud Bay – retains the dues and decides how they will be spent.
In our region the local UFCW chapter, UFCW 3000, represents more than 50,000 people working in grocery, retail, health care, meat packing, cannabis, and other industries across Washington state, north-east Oregon and northern Idaho. However, based on available information, UFCW does NOT represent any local pet food retailers.
In 2024–2025, UFCW 3000 collected just over $35 million in member dues and $57 million in total revenue, according to its financial reports on file.1 However, the union spent less than a third of its revenue representing those 50,000+ members.
What does it mean to have a union represent you?
With a union, the terms and conditions of your employment such as pay, work schedules, benefits and other items must be negotiated through a process called collective bargaining, which happens between a union and an employer.
Collective bargaining is a complex, time-consuming process that, on average, takes more than a year to complete. Remember, if a union is voted in, every eligible employee will be required to work under the rules of the union contract, even if they voted no, and even if they don’t like the contract.
What is collective bargaining?
Collective bargaining is a process through which an employer and a union negotiate a contract on the terms and conditions of your employment, such as:
Pay
Benefits
Work Schedules
Other workplace adjustments
UFCW may make promises or comparisons to other retail stores to get your vote, but Mud Bay is not required to agree to any specific proposals from the union. As a result of negotiations, you and your family could end up with more, the same or less than what you currently have at Mud Bay.
How much are UFCW dues and fees?
Based on UFCW’s financial report, an employee could pay between $864 and $3,240 in dues over the course of a typical 3-year contract, depending on their wage. Muddies may also be required to pay an initiation fee of anywhere between $30 and $250.2
What if I don’t want to be represented by the union?
If the union wins the election, it becomes the representative for all eligible (non-management) employees in the bargaining unit, including employees who voted against union representation or did not vote.
- United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 3000. (2025). Labor organization annual report (Form LM-2) (File No. 543-341). U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards. https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=939918&rptForm=LM2Form ↩︎
- United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 3000. (2025). Labor organization annual report (Form LM-2) (File No. 543-341). U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Labor-Management Standards. https://olmsapps.dol.gov/query/orgReport.do?rptId=939918&rptForm=LM2Form ↩︎