Member Features

Local 881 represents members at hundreds of locations throughout Illinois and Northwest Indiana. Each of these locations is assigned a Union Representative. Some locations, but not all, are fortunate enough to have an onsite Steward.

Stewards are Local 881 members who have been trained on Union information and volunteer their time to be a resource for their co-workers. Stewards are a critical link between Local 881 and the members. They are available to answer contract questions, act as a liaison to the Union, and can, in some cases, help co-workers mitigate store-level issues.

For Local 881 Union Representatives, it can be somewhat of a challenge to recruit members to the position of Steward. Our members work hard, live busy lives, and finding the time to volunteer is difficult.

However, for Union Representative, Marcella Robinson, the Ultra 13001 (8785) — Calumet Park, IL, store presented a very different challenge. THREE of her members were interested in becoming the store's Steward!

If you visit this bustling Ultra, you might notice the seasonal displays and decorations, or the camaraderie among co-workers. But under the surface, the store is uniquely community-focused. The store has established a pro-active committee called 'The Success Team.' The Success Team plans parties, fundraisers, decorates the store, organizes bowling outings, has its own newsletter, and takes ownership of making the store a great place to shop and work.

It is not surprising that out of the Success Team, Union interest and activism has been spurred. When the previous Steward, Adrian Jackson, was promoted and transferred to another store, a notice was posted about the Steward opening. Teresa Anderson, Mary LaFlore, and Voyd Neely, Jr. all expressed interest in filling the available Steward role.

On August 13, 2011, the store held a Steward election. Members at the store were encouraged to vote for their Steward of choice. The election achieved a 50% voter turnout.

Local 881 congratulates Teresa on her election to Steward at Ultra 13001 and we look forward to supporting her in the new role. Local 881 also appreciates and applauds Voyd and Mary for their willingness to serve their Union and their co-workers.

Want to learn more about becoming a Steward? Contact your Union Representative.

A few of us can say we work or have worked with a family member, maybe even two. But for the Siddiqi family they take working together to a new level. What started as an attempt to gain a few more hours of work for one person, over the years has grown to jobs for over 20 people across multiple stores, all represented by Local 881.

As most family stories begin, it starts with mom and dad. It was 1986, Mohammed 'Zia' Siddiqi, Osco 153 (#3346)—Elmhurst, IL, had recently emigrated from Saudi Arabia and started working part-time at Walgreens. With a wife and young child, part-time work was not cutting it. Denied more hours at Walgreens, Zia literally walked across the street to Osco and inquired about employment. He was offered a full–time job, with a higher wage, on the spot. Pleased with the offer and opportunity to work more, Zia accepted immediately.

In 1989, Zia's wife, Asema Siddiqi, CVS 1400 (#5503)—Addison, IL, had completed her high school degree and was juggling a part–time job at Burger King and raising, two young daughters. Motivated to try for something better and with a referral from Zia, Asema applied and was hired at Osco 140 (#3294) in Addison, IL.

As more family members emigrated, the pool of potential employees increased and as positions or shifts became available, Asema and Zia would always make recommendations to management for new employees. Shortly after Asema started working at the Osco in Addison. The store needed help with overnights. At the time, Asema's father, Abu had just been laid–off from his job in Bensenville. With Asema's referral, he started working the night shift at the same Osco. After 20 years of service, without missing a single shift, Abu retired last year.

Over the years, they have lost count of the number of siblings, in–laws, children, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends they have referred for positions at Jewel–Osco and CVS. They have had family members at stores in Addison, Wood Dale, Elmhurst, Glendale Heights, Darien, Hoffman Estates, and Carol Stream. At one time at the Addison Osco, which was a 24–hour store, Asema's sister would start the morning shift, Asema would come on for the second shift, and their father Abu would take the overnight.

Customer service, loyalty, and hard-working have become traits synonymous with the name Siddiqi. When asked about the phenomenon of so many family members working in the same stores, Asema jokingly said,

“I don't know what's wrong with my family, they LOVE working with people!”

More seriously though, when speaking about her 22 years at Osco and CVS, Asema attributes love for her customers, good health benefits, the safe haven of a Union contract, flexibility with hours, and the store discount as the main reasons she has been loyal all these years.

All in the Family

The running list of Siddiqi family members that currently or
at one time have worked for Jewel-Osco or CVS.

Abu—Asema’s Father
Safira—Daughter
Shaesta—Daughter
Safora—Asema’s Sister
Adeeba—Niece

Tazheen—Zia’s Sister
Abid—Brother–in–Law
Farheen—Zia’s Sister
Shoabe—Brother–in–Law
Fawaz—Zia’s Brother

Moinunnisa—Sister–in–Law
Faiyaz—Zia’s Brother
Fahreen—Sister–in–Law
Mubeen—Zia’s Sister
Syed Faiz—Brother–in–Law

Syed Shujauddin—Nephew
Syed Aleemuddin—Nephew
Maleha—Niece
Tamkeen—Sister–in–Law
Samreen—Niece

On May 17, 2011, Local 881 member, Mary ’Lu’ Wilson, Schnucks—Swansea, IL, was working her normal shift as a bagger, when one of her regular customers, Karen Hendrichs walked up to her and put five $100 bills in her hand. Appreciative of Lu’s friendly demeanor and amazing customer service, Karen had nominated Lu for the “Pay It Forward” program sponsored by KTVI/FOX2 (St. Louis) and American Equity Mortgage.

Lu has not only gained a fan base of customers, her co-workers love her, too.

“Lu is a spitball of fire and if I could clone her, I would have the best team ever,” said Craig Rudy, Customer Service Manager.

He described her as the sweetest lady who everyone loves. Not only does she treat the customers with great care, she doesn't complain about getting the carts, even in the worst elements. Lu said, “I like the snow, I don't mind the rain. Getting the carts is a part of my job. I enjoy the older people and helping them to their cars.”

Lu's exemplary customer service is driven by a love of life and sincere enjoyment of her work. After working as a bookkeeper for over thirty years, Lu tried retirement but it didn't stick. A year later she went to apply at the Swansea Schnucks and was willing to do whatever was needed, she even offered to pull weeds and wash windows. She was hired as a bagger and has worked there for over eight years.

“You just couldn't ask for a better place to work," said Lu, "I love my job, I love the people, and when I'm not there I really miss it.”

It was very special for Lu to be acknowledged for doing the job she loves. It was shocking however, to be honored on television, in front of a news crew, and rewarded with a cash prize. As she said, “I cry every time I talk about it.” As it was happening, Lu was caught off guard a little, she recognized her customer, Karen, but realized she didn't even know her last name. Now Karen Hendrichs is a name Lu won't forget. As a result of receiving this award, Lu was able to attend a family reunion over Memorial Day weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks. Lu had not originally planned to attend the event, not wanting to spend outside her means. With the cash in hand, Lu was able to visit with family she hadn't seen in years, eat great food, do a little shopping, and come home with a little money leftover.

The excitement for Lu has continued, “It's just amazing all the customers that saw the story on tv and then they come up to me!”

Congratulations to Lu on Paying it Forward we are thrilled to have you as a member of Local 881! Click here to see the video of the news story featuring Lu.

Internet radio broadcaster, improv comedian, digital radio entrepreneur and innovator, blogger, die-hard Chicago Cubs fan, political influencer, SlamInternetRadio.com founder, lecturer, devoted son, caregiver, mentor, Union steward, and Osco clerk are just a few of the roles played by Local 881 member Joshua Modaressi, Osco 6426 (#3224)—Chicago, IL.

Josh has been a member of Local 881 for almost 13 years. In that time he has worked at over 24 separate Osco stores. Hard-working, outgoing, and dependable, over the years he has been relied on by management to fill-in when needed. His Union Representative also recognized his potential early on, and approached him about becoming a Steward. This became yet another way of showing his value to Osco management.

"Before I became a supervisor, I was a Union steward. My boss saw a high-level of integrity and appreciated my ability to address issues at the store level."

Josh has been a Steward for eight years and credits this role to growing his leadership skills. Over the years, in addition to working part-time at Osco, Joshua worked at a variety of other jobs and completed broadcasting school.

One of his other jobs was at Wrigley Field. It was there he had the opportunity to meet legendary Cub and radio announcer, Ron Santo, as well as radio announcer, Pat Hughes. That encounter combined with a Wright College speech class completed with rave reviews, Josh found encouragement to attend the Second City Theater School of Improvization. Josh spent two years honing his comedic ability and gaining significant communication skills which later evolved into a passion for broadcasting.

In 2007, Josh began pursuing his interest in radio, by attending the Illinois Center for Broadcasting. At this time, Josh also began caring for his parents during their battles with breast and prostate cancer. In 2009, despite losing both his parents, Josh completed his degree. When Josh graduated, he was offered several promising jobs in other cities, including a sports affiliate for the New York Yankees. However, Josh remained in the Chicago area to stay close with his sister and to settle the affairs of his parents.

With the immergence of new digital media and the rapidly changing industry and no local job prospects, Josh began looking to his future in radio in a new light. The idea for an internet radio talk show similar to the 'Man Show' began to take shape, which led to conversations with a technically-savvy Jewel co-worker, Danny Brown, Jewel 4660 (#3262)—Chicago, IL. After finding recording space at local internet cafe, PC Here, and securing an internet domain, the idea evolved into a first recording in November 2009.

As with most entertainment successes, timing is everything and Josh's Slam Internet Radio (SLAMIR) venture, was no exception. The first interview recorded was with Andrea Eve, an up-and-coming Victoria's Secret and Calvin Klein model. The interview was posted shortly after a lewd video had surfaced. Because the scandal had just begun, the podcast garnered Josh's internet station over 35,000 hits and created instant momentum and following.

Today, SlamInternetRadio.com describes itself as a free form talk station that plays music. An ever-changing and growing line up, SLAMIR has over 5 different shows covering topics such as theater, politics, music and technology and provides over 50 hours of live broadcasting per week, as well as 24-hour access to archived shows and re-broadcasts. A complex operation involving radio personalities, interns, board operators, and technical experts, Josh has become a creative visionary and manager for a team nearing 50 people.

The station averages between 1,300 to 3,600 unique listeners/month and in the last few weeks has gained 2,400 new listeners alone. And Josh isn't done yet. His plans include expansion to additional stations formats including Spanish language, independent hip-hop, and sports talk. With access to the internet broadening and becoming more mobile, internet radio is securing its place and gaining ground in the media landscape. Josh described the potential audience of internet radio as limitless,

"Today on the train, I counted five people reading a paper newspaper. Almost every other person on the very full car was using a phone or mobile device to listen, text, or read. In the next three-and-a-half years all brand new cars will have a digital radio tuner."

Josh has become a leader in uncharted territory. He has become skilled at mentoring people and coaching them in the area of podcasting. Even his alma-mater has invited him to guest-lecture on the subject of internet broadcasting.

We are proud to have this versatile and effective communicator as one of our very own Stewards. His commitment to making sure his co-workers have a voice on the job and understand their rights at work is invaluable. If you are interested in exploring internet radio broadcasting, e-mail Josh directly, Josh@slaminternetradio.com. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a Union Steward, contact your Union Representative.

It is estimated that the YouTube website receives over three billion video views per day. It has quickly become the world's largest video sharing community and Local 881 member, Blair Kunkel Capri IGA—Greenville, IL, is one of the active participants. In person, Blair is the head of the grocery department at Capri IGA where he has worked for almost 20 years. Online, he is a video personality of a YouTube channel, with over 80 unique video uploads and 2.5 million plus views.

A musician, songwriter, singer and guitar player, Blair began visiting youtube.com, shortly after it was launched in 2005. He began subscribing to favorite channels and following vloggers (video bloggers). Blair was impressed by the number of views that videos would receive and wondered if posting videos could help his music career. He started with a few cover song uploads, but eventually ran into copyright issues.

After some trial and error, in 2009, he launched Born2rock4U (www.youtube.com/user/born2rock4u). A YouTube channel that features Blair in a video diary of sorts that includes his take on life, music, and humor. With a goal of posting new content every two to three weeks, his subject matter has ranged from a montage of his life's journey to acting goofy while fishing. His most popular video with almost 65,000 unique views, "Umm...EXCUSE ME!!!" features Blair reporting on little known facts related to flatulence.

In October 2010, Blair's channel was invited by YouTube to become a partner?an important milestone to vloggers and video makers. To become a partner, the channel must demonstrate a growing audience of viewers in the thousands and produce original content, free of copyright infringements. As a YouTube partner, there is an opportunity to generate ad revenue. As the number of subscribers and viewers increase, so does the ability to create a growing source of income.

With 20 years on the job at Capri IGA, Blair is appreciative of good health insurance and job security protected by his Union contract. With that peace of mind, he has been able to dedicate himself to building a YouTube presence. Blair estimates that he spends about 80 hours per week working on the channel, which includes producing content, filming, editing, uploading, replying to email, and engaging in online social networking which he uses to promote his channel and videos. Blair's hobby turned hard work has started to pay off and now has over 1,800 subscribers regularly viewing his videos and that number is growing daily.

"When you think about it, it's just crazy that people are actually interested in watching me and becoming subscribers," said Blair about his growing audience.

With potential ad revenue at stake, Blair has become focused on gaining subscribers. He has taken advantage of connections with other vloggers and social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter. Most recently, he was featured in a collaboration video by popular YouTube personalities, Rhett and Link.

Blair believes that you can never have too many connections, "I found that YouTube can be a way to get more friends, and it sounds crazy but some of my closer friends now are on the internet."

If you want to see Blair's videos and subscribe to his channel, visit www.youtube/user/born2rock4you.