The UFCW has created this Privacy Policy and Terms of Use to explain how you may use the information contained and collected on our websites, which includes, for purposes of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, using our mobile texts function and our applications, including applications on third-party sites or platforms such as social networking sites, and to explain how we use information that you may provide while visiting one of our websites.
The UFCW is committed to Internet privacy as demonstrated by the policies set forth herein. Please recognize that the UFCW may, in its sole discretion, modify these policies from time to time by updating this posting, so we encourage you to check this page each time you revisit one of our websites. Your continued use of our websites following any changes to this Privacy Policy will constitute your acceptance of such changes. The date of the latest revision will be listed below so you will know if the policies have changed since you last accessed one of our websites.
Your use of a UFCW website indicates your acceptance to be bound by the provisions of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use in effect as of the date of your use. If you do not accept these terms, do not use our websites.
The terms “you” and “User” as used herein refer to all individuals and/or entities accessing one of our websites for any reason.
We provide an opportunity for users to sign up on our websites to receive text messages from us about issues that may be of importance to them. You only receive mobile texts if you check a box indicating interest in mobile alerts or take some other action to specifically opt in. You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text “STOP” to the short code. After you send the SMS message “STOP” to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up again and we will start sending SMS messages to you again.
If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP for more assistance. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us from you. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider. Message frequency can vary. We never share or sell the mobile numbers we collect.
When you visit one of the UFCW websites, we automatically obtain information about your usage, including, for example, the name of your Internet service provider, the browser and type of computer that you are using, the website that referred you to us, the pages you view and the date and time of those page views. We use this information on an aggregate basis to gather data about activity on our websites, which we use to improve the usefulness of our websites. We do not use this information on any kind of individual basis. We do not collect or store personally identifiable information, such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address or phone number, unless you provide that information. We do not knowingly collect any information from children under the age of 13.
The UFCW provides opportunities for you to provide your contact information in order to engage in UFCW activities such as online activism, to place orders for products or services, to correspond with the UFCW or to submit a testimonial (i.e., share your story). Any information we collect, such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address, type of request you are making and any additional information you provide, is stored by the UFCW for the uses described below.
The UFCW makes reasonable efforts to ensure the secure collection, storage, and transmission of your sensitive information using industry-accepted data collection and encryption methodologies.
The UFCW does not sell your personal information to any third party.
A cookie is a piece of data that is stored on a user’s hard drive that contains information about that user. The UFCW uses cookies to prepopulate data that you have previously supplied on our website so that you do not need to re-enter such information. We also use cookies to measure aggregate Web statistics such as collecting the number of users to our sites, the number of repeat users and the most popular webpages.
The personal information that we collect on the website helps us, our state and local affiliates and UFCW-related organizations to efficiently and effectively represent union members, to pursue our advocacy agenda and to provide valuable member benefits. In order to advance these goals and activities, we may share the personal information that we collect about you with our state and local affiliates and other UFCW-related organizations, as well as third parties that perform services on our behalf. Additionally, subject to applicable law, we may share any of the personal information that we collect about you with certain third parties that share our interests.
We will use your e-mail address to communicate with you about our activities and offerings, unless you opt-out from receiving such messages. We also will use your e-mail address for administrative purposes, such as notifying you of major website changes, sending messages related to actions you have taken on the site or for customer service purposes. Although we hope you’ll find these communications informative and useful, you may opt out of receiving future information via e-mail by using the unsubscribe procedures described below.
When you send e-mail or other communications to us, we may retain those communications in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests and improve our services.
We use both your personally identifying information and certain non-personally identifying information (such as anonymous usage data, IP addresses, browser type, clickstream data, etc.) to improve the quality of your user experience and the design of the website and to create new features, functionality and services by storing, tracking and analyzing user behavior, preferences, trends and actions.
We may disclose your personal information (1) if we believe, in our sole discretion, that we are required to do so by law, such as in response to a court order, subpoena, or similar investigative demand; (2) as we deem appropriate or necessary in response to requests for cooperation from a law enforcement agency, taxation authority, or other government agency; and (3) as otherwise required by law.
We may share account or other information when we believe, in our sole discretion, it is necessary to protect our interests or property; to defend against legal claims or exercise our legal rights; to prevent fraud or other illegal activity perpetrated through any of the UFCW websites or using the UFCW name; to prevent bodily harm; to enforce our Terms of Use; or to protect the rights, property or safety of visitors to our websites.
People who subscribe to e-mail lists via the website will receive periodic updates from the UFCW by regular mail, fax or e-mail. You may opt out of receiving future information via e-mail by using the unsubscribe procedure specified on the e-mail messages you receive.
We want to help you guard your children’s privacy. We encourage you to speak with your children about safe and responsible use of their personal information while using the Internet. The UFCW does not knowingly collect any personally identifiable information from children under thirteen (13). If you have any concerns about any information that your child may have provided to us via one of our websites, please contact us at voice@ufcw.org.
You may be able to purchase items or donate money through our websites. These payments may be made through third party providers such as PayPal. Though the UFCW makes every effort to only partner with reputable vendors, the UFCW is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of those third parties. We encourage our users to review the Privacy Policies of those third parties before completing any transactions.
The UFCW has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse and alteration of information within our control. These measures include internal reviews of our data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures, as well as physical security measures to guard against unauthorized access to systems where we store personal data.
Please recognize that if you send us an e-mail, the information contained in the e-mail is not secure against interception. So if your communication includes sensitive information, such as your credit card information or Social Security number, and you prefer not to use one of our secure online forms, you may choose the option of contacting us by mail or by telephone rather than by e-mail.
If you wish to correct or update your personal information, or if you wish to have your information removed from our database, contact us and we will honor your request to the extent we are able or as required under applicable law.
It is important to note that we periodically receive routine updates to our database records from local unions. If you are a UFCW member and have requested personal information changes, please also alert your local union of any change. Failure to do so may result in your requested changes being overwritten by a subsequent routine update from your local union.
Our websites may contain links to other sites. The UFCW is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content on such sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our website and to read the privacy policies of each website that they visit that collects personally identifiable information. This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected through one of the UFCW websites.
Opinions expressed here and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the UFCW. This Privacy Policy is made effective as of April 4, 2023.
By accessing the UFCW websites, which include, for purposes of the Terms of Use, using our mobile texts function and our applications, including applications on third-party sites or platforms such as social networking sites, you are indicating your acceptance to be bound by the provisions of these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference. If you do not accept any of these terms, do not access the site. The UFCW may, in its sole discretion, revise these Terms of Use at any time by updating this posting. Although we may attempt to notify you when major changes are made to these Terms of Use, you should visit this page periodically to review the most up-to-date Terms of Use because they are binding on you. By continuing to use this website following our posting of such changes, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use, as modified.
The terms “you” and “User” as used herein refer to all individuals and/or entities accessing this website for any reason.
- Eligibility
By accessing one of the UFCW websites, you represent and warrant that you are 18 years of age or older, or an emancipated minor, or possess legal parental or guardian consent, and that you have the right, authority and capacity to agree to and abide by these Terms of Use. In any case, you affirm that you are above the age of 13, as the UFCW website is not intended for children under 13. You also represent and warrant that you will use the websites in a manner consistent with any and all applicable laws and regulations.
- UFCW Permissions and Restrictions
UFCW hereby grants you permission to access and use the websites as set forth in these Terms of Use, provided that:
(a) You do not collect any personally identifiable information of others, including user names or e-mail addresses, from the website.
(b) You do not use any of the UFCW websites in violation of any applicable law or regulations.
(c) You do not use the websites for any commercial purposes without the prior written authorization of the UFCW. You agree not to transmit or otherwise make available any unsolicited advertising, promotional information, bulk e-mail or other solicitation. You agree not to solicit, for commercial purposes, any users of the websites, including with respect to their user comments.
(d) You do not circumvent, disable or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the websites or our sites or servers (or networks connected to our websites), including, without limitation, the following activities: (i) attempting to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of a system or network or to breach security or authentication measures without proper authorization; (ii) attempting to interfere with communication to any user, host or network, including, without limitation, via means of submitting a virus to this or any UFCW site, overloading, “flooding,” “spamming,” “mailbombing” or ”crashing”; or (iii) transmitting or otherwise making available any content containing any “virus,” “worm” or “trojan horse” or any other computer code, file or program designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment. Violations of system or network security may result in civil or criminal liability. The UFCW will investigate occurrences that may involve such violations and may involve, and cooperate with, law enforcement authorities in prosecuting users who are involved in such violations.
(e) You do not use or launch any automated system, including, without limitation, “robots,” “spiders” or “offline readers,” that accesses the websites in a manner that sends more request messages to the UFCW servers in a given period of time than a human can reasonably produce in the same period by using a conventional online Web browser. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the UFCW grants the operators of public search engines permission to use spiders to copy materials from the site for the sole purpose of and solely to the extent necessary for creating publicly available searchable indices of the materials but not caches or archives of such materials. The UFCW reserves the right to revoke these exceptions either generally or in specific cases.
(f) You do not alter or modify any part of the websites.
(g) You do not harass, threaten, embarrass or cause distress, unwanted attention or discomfort to a person or entity on or through the websites or our communication systems.
(h) You do not transmit or otherwise make available on or through the websites any content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, violent, vulgar, obscene, hateful or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, or potentially libelous or inflammatory, as solely determined by the UFCW.
(i) UFCW reserves the right to change or discontinue any aspect of the websites at any time, for any reason and without notice to you.
(j) UFCW reserves the right to suspend or terminate a user’s access to the websites, without prior notice and at the UFCW’s sole discretion. (k) This list of permissions and restrictions, along with the other terms discussed below, is not intended to be complete, but merely illustrative. We reserve the right in our sole and final judgment to determine whether your conduct violates conduct requirements for the websites.
- User Accounts
In order to access some features of the websites, such as, for example, interactive blogs, you have to login using your Facebook or Google login or become a registered user. As a registered user, you agree to be bound by the following terms:
(a) When creating or modifying your account, you must provide accurate, current and complete information. We reserve the right to disallow use of any user name that we deem offensive or inappropriate. You will be responsible for preserving the confidentiality of your password and for all actions of persons accessing the websites through any username/password assigned to you. You must notify the UFCW immediately of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your account. You may never use another’s account without permission.
(b) As a user, you may submit comments on various UFCW blogs or other material (collectively, “User Content”) to the website. UFCW reserves the right, but does not assume the obligation, to delete, move, condense or edit such User Content for any reason and without prior notice. UFCW also reserves the right to suspend or terminate a user’s access for posting User Content.
(c) You are solely responsible for your own User Content and the consequences of posting or publishing it. Submissions may be used by the UFCW for any purpose in any form without the permission of the submitter and without any consideration apart from participation in accordance with these Terms of Use. By providing User Content to the UFCW, you affirm, represent and/or warrant that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents and permissions to use and authorize the UFCW to use all patent, trademark, trade-secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to any and all User Content you submit to enable inclusion and use of such User Content in the manner contemplated by these Terms of Use. You agree and represent that, unless you are the owner of such rights or have permission from the rightful owner, you will not submit material that (i) is copyrighted or protected by trademark or trade secret or other intellectual property rights of others; (ii) violates the privacy, publicity or other personal rights of others; or (iii) reveals confidential information or otherwise violates the third-party proprietary rights of others. You further agree and represent that you will not submit material that is harassing, vulgar, unlawful, harmful, profane, defamatory, violent, obscene, threatening, abusive, hateful or is potentially libelous or inflammatory or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable. The UFCW reserves the right to not post submissions and to remove submissions without prior notice, at the sole discretion of the UFCW.
(d) You retain all of your ownership rights in your User Content. However, by submitting User Content to the UFCW, you hereby grant the UFCW a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable, perpetual and transferable license to use, reproduce, store, distribute, prepare derivative works of and display your User Content (and your user name, voice, appearance and likeness) in any medium in connection with the activities and operations of UFCW, its related and affiliated entities and successors, including, without limitation, for promoting and redistributing part or all of the UFCW website (and derivative works thereof) in any form or media, now known or hereafter devised, in all languages throughout the world. You also give the UFCW the nonexclusive right to use your name, voice, appearance and likeness, as well as any additional information you have provided about yourself, in any material prepared by or for the UFCW in any form or media, now known or hereafter devised, in all languages throughout the world. You also hereby grant each user of the UFCW websites a non-exclusive license to access your User Content through the websites, and to use, reproduce and distribute such User Content for such user’s personal, noncommercial purposes. You understand and agree that the UFCW may retain, reproduce, distribute and otherwise use for any purpose copies of User Content that has been removed from the websites. The above licenses granted by you are perpetual and irrevocable.
(e) The UFCW does not endorse, authorize or ratify any User Content, or any opinion, recommendation or advice expressed therein, and the UFCW expressly disclaims all liability in connection with User Content. The UFCW does not permit copyright infringing activities and infringement of intellectual property rights on its websites, and the UFCW reserves the right, but does not assume the obligation, to remove any content from the websites if notified that such content infringes on another’s intellectual property rights.
- Your Use of Content on the Site
In addition to the restrictions above, the following restrictions and conditions apply specifically to your use of content on the UFCW websites.
(a) The content on the websites (other than your User Content), including, without limitation, the text, software, scripts, graphics, photos, sounds, music, videos, interactive features and the like (collectively, “UFCW Content”) is owned by or licensed by the UFCW. Similarly, the trademarks, service marks and logos contained on the website are owned or licensed by the UFCW (“UFCW Marks”). Except as otherwise provided in these Terms of Use, the UFCW Content and the UFCW Marks may not be downloaded, copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, broadcast, displayed, sold, licensed or otherwise exploited for any purpose whatsoever without the prior written consent of the UFCW. The UFCW reserves all rights not expressly granted in and to the UFCW Content and the UFCW Marks.
(b) The websites are made available for your personal, noncommercial use only. As part of such use, you may display, download and/or print pages from the site; you may link to the websites; and you may forward website materials to others for personal, non-commercial uses that are reasonably related to the website’s purposes.
(c) You understand that when using one of the UFCW websites, you will be exposed to UFCW Content, User Content and other third-party content from a variety of sources, and that the UFCW makes no warranty about the accuracy, usefulness, safety or intellectual property rights of or relating to such UFCW Content, User Content or other third-party content. You further understand and acknowledge that you may be exposed to User Content that may be inaccurate, offensive, indecent or objectionable, and you agree to waive, and hereby do waive, any legal or equitable rights or remedies you have or may have against the UFCW with respect thereto.
(d) The websites may contain links to third-party websites that are not owned or controlled by the UFCW. The UFCW has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party websites. We encourage you to be aware when you leave one of the websites and to read the terms and conditions and privacy policy of each other website that you visit.
- Digital Millennium Copyright Act
If you are a copyright owner or an agent thereof and believe that any UFCW Content or User Content infringes upon your copyright, you may submit a notification pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) by providing UFCW’s Copyright Agent with the following information in writing (see 17 U.S.C § 512(c)(3) for further details):
Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed;
Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled and information reasonably sufficient to permit the UFCW to locate the material;
A statement that you have a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law;
A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are, or are authorized to act on behalf of, the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
Your name, mailing address, telephone number and e-mail address; and
A physical or electronic signature of the owner of the exclusive right that is allegedly infringed, or that of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner.
UFCW’s designated Copyright Agent to receive notifications of claimed infringement is: UFCW General Counsel, 1775 K St, NW, Washington, DC 20006; legal@www.ufcw.org. You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with all of the above requirements, your DMCA notice may not be valid.
For clarity, only DMCA notices should go to the Copyright Agent. Please use the Contact Us form for any other feedback, comments, requests for technical support or other communications with the UFCW.
- Disclaimer of Warranty
THE UFCW WEBSITES ARE PROVIDED TO YOU “AS IS.” YOU AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THE UFCW WEBSITES SHALL BE AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, UFCW, AS WELL AS ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS (COLLECTIVELY, THE “UFCW PARTIES”), DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN CONNECTION WITH THE WEBSITES AND YOUR USE THEREOF. THE UFCW PARTIES CANNOT AND DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENTNESS, NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OF THE WEBSITES’ CONTENT OR THE CONTENT OF ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO ANY OF THE UFCW WEBSITES. NOR DO THE UFCW PARTIES GUARANTEE THAT THE WEBSITES WILL BE ERROR FREE, OR CONTINUOUSLY AVAILABLE, OR THAT THE WEBSITES WILL BE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. THE UFCW PARTIES DO NOT WARRANT, GUARANTEE OR ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY PRODUCT OR SERVICE PROVIDED, ADVERTISED OR OFFERED BY A THIRD PARTY THROUGH THE UFCW WEBSITES OR ANY WEBSITE HYPERLINKED OR FEATURED IN ANY BANNER OR OTHER ADVERTISING.
- Limitation on Liability
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE UFCW PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE FORESEEABLE, RELATING TO THE UFCW WEBSITES, INCLUDING ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY (I) ERRORS, MISTAKES OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT; (II) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF OUR WEBSITES; (III) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SECURE SERVERS AND/OR ANY AND ALL PERSONAL INFORMATION AND/OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION STORED THEREIN; (IV) INTERRUPTION OR CESSATION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM OUR WEBSITES; (V) BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES OR THE LIKE, WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH OUR WEBSITES BY ANY THIRD PARTY; AND/OR (VI) ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN ANY CONTENT OR FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE OUR WEBSITES OR ANY CONTENT POSTED, E-MAILED, TRANSMITTED OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE VIA THE UFCW WEBSITES, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT UFCW IS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. YOU SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE UFCW PARTIES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR USER CONTENT OR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY AND THAT THE RISK OF HARM OR DAMAGE FROM THE FOREGOING RESTS ENTIRELY WITH YOU. CERTAIN STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. TO THE EXTENT THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OF THE PROVISIONS SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT MAY NOT APPLY.
- Indemnity
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the UFCW Parties, from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt and expenses (including, but not limited to, attorney’s fees), of whatever nature, arising from: (i) your use of the UFCW websites; (ii) your violation of any term of these Terms of Use; (iii) your violation of any third-party right, including without limitation any copyright, property or privacy right; or (iv) any claim that one of your submissions caused damage to a third party. This defense and indemnification obligation will survive these Terms of Use and your use of the UFCW websites.
- Miscellaneous
These Terms of Use and Privacy Policy shall be governed by the internal substantive laws of Washington, D.C., without respect to its conflict of laws principles. Any claim or dispute between you and the UFCW that arises in whole or in part from the UFCW websites shall be decided exclusively by a court of competent jurisdiction located in Washington, D.C.
These Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, together with any other legal notices published by UFCW on the website, shall constitute the entire agreement between you and the UFCW concerning the UFCW websites and supersedes prior agreements, if any, between you and the UFCW relating to any matter dealt with in these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If any provision of these Terms of Use or Privacy Policy is deemed invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions, which shall remain in full force and effect. No waiver of any term of these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term, and the UFCW’s failure to assert any right or provision under these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. These Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred or assigned by you, but may be assigned by the UFCW without restriction. These Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and the rights and obligations created hereunder shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefits of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns, and nothing in these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, express or implied, is intended or should be construed to confer upon any other person any right, remedy or claim under or by virtue of these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You and the UFCW agree that any cause of action arising out of or related to the UFCW websites must commence within one (1) year after the cause of action accrues. Otherwise, such cause of action is permanently barred.
These Terms of Use are made effective as of April 4, 2023.