The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is one of the largest labor unions in North America, representing approximately 1.2 million workers primarily in the United States and Canada. It was formed in June 1979 through the merger of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America (AMC) and the Retail Clerks International Union (RCIU). The UFCW represents workers in a wide range of industries including retail, food processing and manufacturing, meatpacking, hospitality, agriculture, cannabis, chemical trades, security, textile, and health care. As a 501(c)(5) nonprofit organization, the union focuses on improving wages, benefits, working conditions, and workplace safety through collective bargaining, strikes, and political advocacy. The UFCW is known for major labor actions including organizing campaigns in grocery chains and food production facilities, and emphasizes issues like affordable healthcare, fair pay, and protections against corporate exploitation. The union has been affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), UNI Global Union, and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF). It disaffiliated from the AFL-CIO in 2005 as part of the Change to Win Coalition but reaffiliated in 2013. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the UFCW addresses contemporary challenges like automation, gig economy pressures, and supply chain disruptions, with milestones including significant contracts with major employers and advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.