It was in 1962 that James E. Glenn formed the GOA (General Organizer’s Association), a staff union within the UFCW. It wasn’t until 1979 that the IRA (International Representa-tives Association) was formed which changed its name to FAIR. The two unions represented the International Union staff and various locals separately for many years. There had been attempts to merge the unions a number of times over a 25 year period. For one reason or another it never happened; that is until Labor Day 2008.

FAIR and GOA had joint negotiations with the International Union in 2007 that nearly led to a strike. During this time the president of GOA, Danny Serrano, and the president of FAIR, John Heise, realized that the two unions could serve its members better by becoming one union.

“By knowing the past you can enrich the future. Together we are one.”

Contributing to this article was International Steward Lois Elbornetti