Representatives from all corners of the food and drug industries gathered in December to reconnect and re-energize at the 2025 Food and Drug Conference.

Leaders 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 challenged them to harness the power of empathy, which taps into our shared humanity.

“Empathy is solidarity in action,” she said. “It’s what allows us to stand side by side, shoulder to shoulder with others, even when our stories differ.”

Curiosity, rather than judgement, opens up new possibilities, she continued, and allows us to provide better service to those in our industries.

UFCW 8-Golden State President Jacques Loveall, in an address titled “Never Forget Where You Came From,” honored the legacy of former UFCW International President Doug Dority, who died in November 2025 at age 86.

Dority’s leadership abilities were tested during the 141-day Southern California grocery strike and lockout in 2003–2004, the longest supermarket strike in U.S. history, but he was uplifted and inspired by the determination of the striking workers.

“The fire in the belly of our members is where our power comes from,” Loveall said. “They empower and energize us, and it’s our responsibility to never lose their enthusiasm.”

Dority’s commitment to serving others continued after his retirement from the UFCW with his work as the head of America’s Agenda: Health Care for All, and his kindness and compassion for others was fondly remembered.

UFCW 8-Golden State Secretary-Treasurer Kirk Vogt moderated a panel focused on “Bargaining in a New Era: Strategies for Pressure, Power and Progress.” It featured Miles Anderson, president of UFCW Local 880; Jim McLaughlin, president of UFCW Local 99; and Dan Pedersen, president of UFCW Local 876.

Topics such as the prevalence of misinformation on social media having an effect on negotiations, as well as the impact of cuts to social programs, were touched upon.

“A huge percentage of SNAP dollars are spent in traditional grocery stores, our stores in Arizona,” McLaughlin said. “So we’re seeing our members struggling with hours and, going into negotiations, it’s something we really need to pay attention to.”

Panelists also discussed innovative approaches to bargaining, the uncertainty tariffs bring to the grocery and manufacturing industries and how to process the feedback members give through surveys.

“The top three things are money, pension and health care,” Pedersen said, “But right underneath that is hours. Kroger is reducing hours so drastically that members just want the ability to work enough hours to provide for themselves.”

“We’ve gotten help from the bargaining department and the research department at the International,” Andersen said, describing the steps his local takes to prepare for negotiations. “We’re making sure we’re covering all our bases as we prepare for bargaining, months in advance, so we’re ready to take the necessary action.”

The “Proactive Power: Meeting the Moment with Clarity, Care and Courage” panel, moderated by UFCW Western States Council Executive Director Amber Parrish, discussed the challenges of representing a modern-day workforce and their experiences in dealing with unexpected events.

The panel featured Justin Adrian, business representative at IUOE Local 501; Laura Kelley, president of UFCW Local 655; and Rena Wong, president of UFCW Local 663.

“Members today are seeing things that are unprecedented in our country,” Kelley said, pointing to heavy-handed immigration crackdowns along with food and housing insecurities.

“It is our responsibility as leaders to let members know that we get it, that we get them, because if we don’t, how can we lead them with integrity?”

“In my 20 years in the Labor Movement, I’ve found that communication is key,” Adrian added, highlighting the need for a back and forth between union leaders and members. “If you don’t have empathy in your toolbelt, I question if you can serve the members effectively.”

Wong detailed a broad assistance program her union created for families in Southern Minnesota when underage workers were found to be working in meatpacking plants in the area. The union coordinated legal help, temporary citizenship status, informational clinics and more to try to uncover the truth about what happened at these worksites.

“It wasn’t what I expected my role to be as president,” Wong said. “But when it happens, it’s not something that we, as a union and a membership, can shy away from.”

Keynote speaker and internationally-known presenter Matt Booth shared the benefits of a positive attitude in “Basically Incredible: How Doing the Basics Consistently Leads to an Incredible Life.”

Under his guidance, audience members worked with one another in a series of activities designed to refocus participants on gratitude and help them understand how their attitude affects those around them both at work and at home.

“We’re so busy thinking outside of the box, we’ve forgotten the basics inside the box,” he said. “We don’t want to ignore what can make us successful.

“This is a huge opportunity for improvement. We can change the way we go about our lives if we measure and take inventory of our attitudes.”

The conference concluded with a networking reception which featured karaoke and live songs from celebrated performer Reed Shannon.

As attendees made their way home to put their newfound knowledge into action, Anreder left them with a parting reminder.

“In the end, it’s not the grand gestures,” she said, “but the everyday acts of empathy that change the world.”

The Food & Drug Conference will return to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on Dec. 14, 2026.