Thought leaders and decision makers from across the food and drug industry gathered to chart a course for the future at the 2024 Food and Drug Conference.

Representatives from labor, management, marketing, distribution, health care, pharmaceuticals and more attended the event, which featured engaging speakers and offered opportunities for networking and strategizing.

FDC Director Ellen Anreder welcomed attendees and shared thoughts about navigating and instigating change.

“As leaders, we are instigators of change,” she said. “It’s our job to inspire others to be the best versions of themselves, and we do it day after day after day.”

She encouraged the audience to change their perspective when experiencing a “bad day” and focus instead on gratitude, which is the key to lasting fulfillment.

In a panel titled “The Power of Benefit Funds: Investing and Building Equity in Health Care Companies”, UFCW 8-Golden State President Jacques Loveall and NEPC Partner John Elliot explored the ways in which unions can leverage Benefit Funds’ investments to bring down the constantly rising costs of health care.

“When we started investing directly into the delivery of health care, good things happen,” Loveall said.

This concept is now the Strategic Healthcare Fund, which attracts many interested investors.

“We’ve taken a look at what members are using in terms of health care and made co-investments in companies that are delivering really good quality service and improving outcomes,” Elliot said.

UFCW 8-Golden State Secretary-Treasurer Kirk Vogt moderated a panel on “Negotiations, Organizing and Member Servicing.” It featured Miles Anderson, president of UFCW Local 880; Milton Jones, secretary-treasurer of UFCW International; Pat Loo, president of UFCW Local 480; and Dan Pedersen, president of UFCW Local 876.

Panelists discussed a members-first approach when considering industry consolidation, ways to promote member engagement and the challenges ahead with new technology and the rise of artificial intelligence.

“We can’t always take the position that we’re going to fight against technology — it’s coming,” Jones said. “We have to learn how to best utilize it and how to best protect our members from what may be harmful effects.”

“We have to protect the work we have,” Anderson added, “but also look at growing that work. We have to think outside of the box and not just stick to the way we’ve always done it.”

On the topic of reaching out to new workers, established leaders need to find out about their values and what will keep them engaged in the labor movement, Loo said.

When negotiating a first contract for a new group of workers in Michigan, that meant making sure workers weren’t alone in a business for safety reasons, Pedersen said, stressing that every contract is unique.

FDC Director Ellen Anreder and UFCW Local 655 Assistant to the President Laura Kelley sat down for a thought-provoking look into “Why Pronouns Matter (Hint: It’s Not What You Think).”

Kelley urged attendees to expand inclusivity efforts in their industries, as doing so will create not only a more welcoming, productive environment, but a more successful one.

“‘Diversity’ is having a seat at the table and ‘inclusion’ refers to the degree in which organizations embrace all of their employees and enable them to make meaningful contributions,” she said. “Diversity is not only the future of our unions, it is the future of our country.”

Using a person’s preferred pronoun creates a safe environment, Kelley said.

“We all want to navigate the world safely — it doesn’t matter if you identify as heterosexual, bisexual, or transgender,” she said. “Whenever you give your pronouns out of the gate, when you introduce yourself, it lets me know that you’re a safe space. You get it.”

The “Legislation and Politics” panel, moderated by UFCW Western States Council Executive Director Amber Parrish, discussed the post-election landscape for working people and how fresh approaches will be needed to pass laws that benefit our industries.

Panelists Justin Adrian, business representative at IUOE Local 501; Joe Duffle, president of UFCW 1167; Jim McLaughlin, president of UFCW Local 1167 and Mark Ramos, president of UFCW Local 1428 described the need to connect with members and bring their issues to the halls of government.

“Member engagement is critical,” Adrian said, “to understand what the key issues are to them and why they voted the way they did, and to highlight the protections they have as a union member.”

“We have to talk to the political leadership in our state and see what protections we can get passed,” Duffle said. “Most importantly, we have to listen to our membership. They will tell us what to do, and we need to be smart enough to listen.”

McLaughlin emphasized the need to listen to members.

“The economy is what is important to our members,” he said. “When we start talking about what we think the most important thing is, and what they should be voting on, it’s not getting them engaged. We need to better communicate with them.”

Ramos highlighted the need to empower workers to stand up for their rights at work, which allows union leaders to bring safety concerns to state and local legislatures.

“When our members take back their power and say ‘You know what? I’m not going to use an unsafe instrument in the workplace,’” he said, “those are the kind of ideas we can use to push forward policies in government that protect workers.”

Keynote speaker Dave Davlin, a renowned performer and author, captivated the audience with tales of personal struggle and triumph in his presentation “The Game-Winning 3: Making it Count Professionally and Personally.”

Audience members were invited to take the stage to participate in activities designed to help them push beyond self-imposed boundaries and empower them to bring renewed energy back to their workplaces.

“Success comes down to one thing: making somebody’s life better,” Davlin said. “It may be producing a better product, maybe relieving pain or creating joy or laughter for someone.

“But whatever the case may be, it all comes down to making someone’s life better. You don’t want to look back on your life and say ‘I could have done more.’”

The Food & Drug Conference will return to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Dec. 15, 2025.