Meet UFCW Local 663

Jessica Hayssen

Director of Communications

Jessica Hayssen joined the UFCW Local 663 family in 2017 and is proud to amplify the stories of the hard work that Local 663 members do and how they give back to the community. She believes that the power of our stories can be used to create better workplaces and communities. Jessica has held previous positions at the Minnesota AFL-CIO and AFSCME Council 5 standing up for hard working union families. She’s stood shoulder to shoulder with locked out sugar beet workers in western MN and went to jail for justice in solidarity with those who fight for $15 an hour at the MSP airport. She was a founding member of the national AFL-CIO Young Workers’ Advisory Council and founded Minnesota Young Workers as well as Minnesota Union Women’s’ groups. She is a long serving board member on the Nellie Stone Johnson Scholarship Committee. Jessica finds inspiration in people’s lives, because our lives and our families are what drives us to build better lives. Our story is about coming together through collective bargaining to live our values. Jessica lives in south Minneapolis with a brilliant daughter and loyal Boston Terrier named Oliver.

Michael Potter

Special Assistant to the President

Michael Potter was born in Syracuse, NY in August 1959. He attended Our Lady of Solace and Most Holy Rosary High School in Syracuse. In 1981 he enlisted and served four years in the United States Army. Michael moved to Minnesota in 1989 and started working at Monfort Pork in Worthington, currently JBS-USA. In November of 1999 Michael was elected as the President of United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Local 1161. He began his first term in January, 2000. He was appointed to the UFCW Advisory Board in 2003. In 2004, he was elected to the Region 6 Northern Plains Council as a Board Member. He is currently the chairperson for JBS Pork, Packing Plant Chain. Michael served as President of Local 1161 for 19 consecutive years. On September 1, 2018 he began his new position as Director of Packing for Local 663. He has been an advocate for social justice and workers rights for many years. He is passionate and dedicated to serving the members that he represents. Michael is the father of eight children, and has been married to his wife Suzie for 25 years. His hobbies include singing, fishing, watching sports, serving his community, and spending time with his grandchildren.

Rena Wong

Director of Organizing

Rena is originally from California and is Chinese American by way of Mexico. Her father was a restaurant worker and mother a domestic worker. They performed hard, low waged work and their jobs had no union representation. Rena's family had no health insurance, retirement savings, or anything else. She attended UCLA on scholarship when the Justice for Janitors strike took place in Los Angeles in 2000. That fight by low wage workers (so much like her parents) to be visible and for a dignified living wage inspired Rena to join the labor movement. Against all odds, those workers dared to fight and hope—and they WON. It was Rena’s first glimpse of what is possible when workers organize to build power. After graduating in 2001, Rena became an organizer and have worked in Labor ever since. She started with AFSCME in San Francisco, and helped to rebuild a Local over two years and prepared members for a contract fight. Rena joined SEIU in 2004 after moving to Minnesota and was part of the Property Services Division, organizing thousands of subcontracted food, laundry, and janitorial workers like those that first inspired her. Now with UFCW Local 663, Rena’s goal is to build power for workers to set standards in our union’s core industries. By activating our members, organizing non-union workers and partnering with: other unions, faith groups and community organizations we can improve the lives of all workers across our society.