Member of the Week: Mark May
Mark May started at the Trust Fund in March 1991 in the records department. In this department, one of his duties was copying information from microfilm for the Pension Department. May was in the Pension Department from April 1992 until March 2012 when he took a position in the Auditing Department.
With his spare time May likes to hike and ride his bike either on the road or on local mountain bike trails. He is also an assistant Scout Master for his son’s Boy Scout troop.
When asked what inspired him to become more involved in union activities he said, “Working in the Pension Department I was able to have contact with lots of employees from the Stores and the Local Staff which allowed me to develop a personal relationship and an understanding of the union. Seeing their struggles daily is what made me respect their union beliefs. I began my union development in mid 2006 when my best buddy Bill Ivey and I got the idea to Unionize the Fund office. The struggles we had during our successful campaign and the continued struggles to maintain what we fought for makes me thankful for our union.”
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: What I like is the interaction with the people who have worked so hard for the grocery industry and are now ready to start a new chapter in their lives. There is nothing like excitement and joy in someone’s eyes after working 30+ years and now are able to retire and have so much more time to enjoy their friends and family.
Q: How would your life be different if you were not a union member?
A: Working at the Trust Fund I completely understand what it is like not being a union member. Knowing and being told constantly that you are an at will employee is a very uncomfortable feeling. Knowing that you have people who are behind you has allowed me to relax and focus on doing my job better.
Q: What is your greatest asset?
A: My greatest asset is my honesty. I have always believed that people who come into my office deserve not to be mislead and to be given the facts about their benefits. As a result, I have been told by many people that they go back to their store and tell their fellow co-workers that if you want it straight, go see Mark.
Q: If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?
A: I guess the one thing I would change is though honesty and being straight with someone is important, the ability to be more sensitive on providing this information is a balance that I work on. Fortunately, I have amazing co-workers who are not afraid to tell me when I’m wrong and how I could have said something differently.
Q: What in your life are you most proud of?
A: What I am most proud of besides my two children who I love more than anything in the world would be the successful unionization of the Trust Fund. For this I want to thank the employees of the Fund for trusting in me and believing in what myself and my organizing committee were offering to them. I truly believe that as employees of the Fund we are much better off than we would ever have been on our own.
Q: If you could make any single change in the workplace what would it be?
A: The only change would be for everyone to better understand that the Union and Employers must work together for the common good. That only working together with management helps employees make for a more productive and successful business relationship.
Want to see more, but don’t want to wait until next week? Check out our previous Member of the Week honorees in the Archive.
