New President at UFCW Local 832

At the October 24 executive board meeting of the union, Jeff Traeger (right) was elected as the new president of UFCW Local 832. Traeger is the third, full-time President in the Local's 73-year history. The former Secretary-Treasurer will replace retiring president Robert Ziegler (below left), who was elected in 2002.

"When I was elected as president nine-years ago, I pledged to strengthen our membership and ensured our local would be the voice of working people in our province. With the help of the staff and executive board, I'm proud of what we have accomplished together", the outgoing president said.

In addition to his full-time work at Local 832, Ziegler also served the MFL as a table officer and treasurer. Members of MFL Executive Council will elect a replacement for Ziegler on the Table Officers at their December meeting.

Ziegler started with UFCW in 1977 working at Empress Foods (now Lucerne Bread) in Winnipeg and was hired as a servicing representative in 1979. After 32 years of service, Ziegler is looking forward to spending some time with his family.

As the new president of Local 832, Jeff Traeger says that his goal is to focus on the needs of Local 832's members, listen to their concerns and protect their gains in collective bargaining.

Executive Assistant and Negotiator, Beatrice Bruske was elected as the Local's new Secretary-Treasurer. Bruske is the first woman to be elected to the Secretary-Treasurers position in the Local's history.