Solidarity Works!

As President of Local 455 of the United Food and Commercial Workers, Brandon Hopkins has emerged as one of the youngest and most influential labor leaders in the Southern United States. Hopkins has been a union member for 15 years. He began his career as a rank-and-file member at Kroger and Special Project Union Representative, respectively, later joining the Local Union staff as a full-time representative in 2008. He worked as a Union Representative in Houston & east Texas before servicing Louisiana.

During his time in Louisiana, he was promoted to Assistant Field Director in conjunction with assisting the Local in contract negotiations across the jurisdiction. In 2014, he moved back to Houston to assist former Secretary-Treasurer, Rick Alleman, in the bargaining department and former Grievance Director, Sue Mann, in the grievance department. Hopkins was promoted to Director of Collective Bargaining and Special Assistant to the President in 2018, and Executive Assistant to the President in 2019. Hopkins has assisted in all major negotiations for the last 12 years.

Hopkins currently holds a seat on the South-Central Health and Welfare Fund & the Atlanta Health and Welfare Fund. He also maintains a seat on the board of the Texas Future Project and the Gulf Coast AFL-CIO. Additionally, Hopkins works with local and state elected officials to advance the Local’s pro-labor agenda for its members.

Hopkins is a 2015 graduate of the Harvard Trade Union Program – administered by the Harvard Law School and completed the Wharton Schools Executive Education Program on negotiations in 2016. Furthermore, Hopkins completed the Black Swan Negotiations Program sponsored by the Black Swan Group in 2022.

Thanks in large part to the support of its membership and its leadership, Local 455 will continue to have a strong history of standing up against corporate greed, corruption, mistreatment, and other employer tactics used to steal members’ hopes, dreams, and opportunities & slow the path towards prosperity.

Former Positions Held at UFCW Local 455:

– Texas Special Project Union Representative
– Texas Union Representative
– Louisiana Union Representative
– Louisiana Assistant Field Director (assisted former Secretary Treasure Rick Alleman)
– Texas Assistant Field Director (assisted former Grievance Director Sue Mann)
– Field Director for Texas
– Field Director for Louisiana
– Director of Collective Bargaining
– Special Assistant to the President (Former UFCW 455 President Bill Hopkins)

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Shirley has been a union member for over 35 years. Her father worked with Ingall’s Shipbuilders and was a strong union member - He taught her the value of a union. She began her career with UFCW Local 210 in Baton Rouge, LA in 1986 as the office manager. After the merger of Local 210 and Local 455 in July 1999, Shirley continued working in the Baton Rouge office. In 2001 Shirley left the office for a job as a Union Representative and enjoyed it immensely! It was then when she truly realized the joy of helping others.

In November 2017, Shirley was promoted to Field Director, overseeing all the Louisiana Union Representatives. Today, she serves as UFCW Local 455’s first female Secretary-Treasurer and has been filling this roll since July 2018. It’s been a long 35 years but she hopes to continue in serving the membership and staff she enjoys so much!

“UFCW Local 455 is all about making sure our members are taken care of. That’s why I’ve been with the union for over 35 years!”

Former positions held at UFCW Local 455:

- Union Representative
- Field Director
- Secretary-Treasurer

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