STAFF PROFILE

Hard Work and Satisfaction

Union life is rewarding for Andy Houts 

Back in the late 1970s, Andy Houts was just “getting by” working at a non-Union

independent grocery store when, thanks to “a little help from my friends,” he saw he could get by a lot better at a Union job.

   “I had a few friends who were

working at a Union job at Save Mart, in Fresno,” said Houts, who now serves the Union as a District Union Representative.

“When I saw that they made $2-3 more an hour, and they had health insurance and a pension, I applied for a job at the

same store.”

   Houts was hired as a clerk. It was

the beginning of a career that has

spanned four decades. Houts recalls that at the time he had no intention of making a career in the industry.

   “I needed a part-time job to help me through school,” he said. “Once I got my degree, I planned to pursue a career in business.”

   Houts graduated from Fresno State

in 1984 with a degree in business

administration and began looking for

entry-level jobs in a variety of industries.

   “I was surprised to find that the pay

and benefits of those jobs were well

below what I was earning at Save Mart,” Houts said. “I would have had to take about a $10,000 a year cut

in pay to leave.”

   Not surprisingly, Houts stayed at

his Union job. “I realized, that aside from the higher pay and benefits, I also had job security,” he said. “In a non-Union job, the company can dismiss a worker for any reason or no reason at all.

   That can’t happen in a job that has a Union contract, because we have a grievance and arbitration procedure

that usually ensures that members are

treated fairly.”

   Houts became a Steward in 1987, because he wanted to “ensure that all workers are treated equally.”

   In 1990, he was hired as a Union

Representative at Local 1288 and was

immediately assigned to direct all of

the local’s organizing activities.

   “I organized a majority, pro-Union

vote at Save Mart 55, the first store

we attempted to organize,” Houts said.

“I worked at organizing full-time for

the first seven years I was with the

local.”

During those seven years, the local’s membership increased by more

than 500 members.

   “It was hard work, but it provided a lot of satisfaction,” Houts said. “When you’re honest with people, gain their trust, show them the differences between a Union and non-Union job and also point out the falsehoods of company propaganda, you have better prospects for a good result.”

  ‘Union is There for Them’

   Houts continued: “I try to represent

members the way I would want to be

represented. I make it a point to

always return my phone calls and visit the stores as often as I can to let

members know that the Union is there for them whenever they need help.”

   Houts and his wife, Berta, live in

Fresno with their two cats. In his

spare time, he enjoys fishing for trout

or salmon on the lakes around Fresno

and Sacramento.

   “I’m basically a ‘catch and release’ fisherman,” Houts said. “I do it for the sport and the relaxation it offers.”

Houts is grateful he took note of

his friends’ Union benefits back in the late 1970s and that it motivated him to obtain a Union job.

   “Unions are what make the middle

class, and the bigger and stronger

Unions become, the better they

become, not only for working men and women, but also for our country.”