BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
Michael Hines
UFCW Local 367 President
President Hines grew up in the Tacoma area, He attended Jason Lee Junior High and Stadium High School. Michael and his sister were raised by a single mom who worked as an LPN in the Burn Unit at St. Joseph Medical Center for 30 years.
“Our home was a small trailer in Fife. My mom would walk to catch the bus near the Poodle Dog to get to LPN school without any financial support from my dad. I have always respected her for the sacrifices she made. Until I was old enough to stand my ground, kids made fun of me for being poor. That’s why I’ve always wanted to defend those less fortunate than I was.”
Michael first became active in UFCW 367 working at Ernst Hardware on 6th Avenue. He was a UFCW member again at Pay n Save Warehouse, where he drove a forklift. By the mid '90s, Michael was running the Linen & Distribution Department at Allenmore Hospital in Tacoma. He soon realized he and his coworkers' frozen wages were the result of not having Union representation.
At that time, Allenmore Hospital was not union while Tacoma General and Mary Bridge were both represented by UFCW. Michael and his three roommates launched a campaign and with the help of UFCW organizers, they won. Michael joined the bargaining team for a first contract and was trained as a shop steward.
“I still remember the nervous excitement on the day of the vote. I had really put myself out there by physically signing up about 200 of my co-workers to gather enough support for an election. I was warned several times by upper management to slow my roll but eventually, they just left me alone. They won the election, and I knew from that point on, I wanted to be an Organizer.”
His activism led to advanced training through the AFL-CIO’s Organizing Institute. Michael spent the next 10 years organizing workers around the country with SEIU Local 6 (Seattle), UFCW 1439 (Spokane), UFCW 1001 (Bellevue), UFCW International, and UFCW 21 (Seattle) where Michael honed his skills as a Grievance Representative and Negotiator.
In October of 2019, Michael was hired as Executive Assistant to the President, at UFCW 367, where he quickly developed systems and processes for the grievance and bargaining department.
In a turn of events, after the current president resigned, President Hines was sworn into office by the 367 Executive Board in the Summer of 2021. With his multifaceted background and over 20 years of experience and vision of building a member-driven Union, we are better prepared for the many fights ahead.
“I was hired as the person who would be in the background. Now every decision I make can affect the lives of over 8,000 UFCW 367 members and their families. I am proud to take on this serious challenge. This local has been through enough turmoil these past several years. As a new leader, my pledge is to build a member-driven Union with a focus on organizing and educating activists. This is what I bring to the table.
President Hines resides in the area with his wife Kelly and their four cats. The pride of his life is his four children and nine grandchildren.