Dear Brothers and Sisters of UFCW Local 700: 

It has been an honor to spend my career serving the members of UFCW. For nearly 37 years, I have been privileged to work as an Organizer, Organizing Director, and Business Agent; as President of UFCW Local 700 since 2006; and as an International Vice President since 2012.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done at Local 700, because together we have created a better future for our members. We won strong contracts, lifted starting pay, expanded members-only benefits, added Stewards, and organized new members. We protected health care and pension benefits for thousands of members. The Heartland Health and Wellness Fund is one of the largest UFCW health care funds in the country. For members in plants, we ensured that members and their families have access to care. We were a founding local of the UFCW Consolidated Pension; Meat Department members approved an historic agreement to secure that pension. We work to be an industry leader in pension benefits for members in packing and processing facilities.

Our members do the hard work of serving our community every day, making and selling the food and essentials that ends up in households across the country. Our members deserve a big, strong union that can build upon what we have achieved in the past to meet the challenges of the future; with negotiating power to uplift their families and provide a good life; and that fights tirelessly every single day. 

I am grateful to have fought alongside you for nearly four decades but am taking the next step in my journey; I retired effective August 27, 2022. I’m looking forward to supporting you in all the ways that you’ll continue to build better lives for the members of UFCW Local 700.

In solidarity,

Joe Chorpenning