Marc Perrone began his career working part-time in a grocery store as a teenager, and through decades of service, working hard to better the lives of fellow members of our union family, was elected International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

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His election to UFCW International President in 2014, following a decade of service as the UFCW’s Secretary-Treasurer, is the capstone of a lifelong career in the service of hard-working families. Now at the helm of one of the country’s most diverse and dynamic labor unions, Perrone’s bold leadership and vision is defining a new direction for the UFCW that remains committed to the values the UFCW will always stand for.

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At the heart of Perrone’s philosophy is his fundamental belief that our members are the strength of our union family and that we are stronger when we stand together. To better the lives of others, we must be willing to think differently and champion the issues that matter most to our members.

 

Perrone brings more than four decades of experience to his position. He joined the Retail Clerks – which later became the UFCW – in 1971 while working as a part-time clerk at Weingarten’s food store in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He learned firsthand the power we have to negotiate better lives when we stand together. Perrone honed his union organizing skills while working on campaigns across the country on behalf of diverse workers who had earned a better life and deserved someone to fight for them.

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Perrone has served in many leadership capacities within the UFCW. He was elected to the UFCW International Union Executive Committee in February 2000 and elected Secretary-Treasurer in 2004.

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Under his guidance as Secretary-Treasurer, the UFCW streamlined finances to transition to a union with a renewed focus on organizing and enabled the UFCW’s collective bargaining and political programs to transform the lives of working people. He was also responsible for the stewardship of the pension funds that will enable UFCW members to live out their retirement years in security and with dignity.

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Perrone paid his way through college while working in a grocery store and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies. Over the course of his career, he sought additional educational opportunities and continued his education in economics, capital markets, and public policy.