Memphis is historically a city that strongly embraces its workers.  Part of that history is the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who came to support Memphis sanitation workers on strike in 1968 when he was assassinated.

On January 20, 2014, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Memphis community once again displayed support and solidarity with Memphis workers. Specifically, the 220 BCTGM Local 252G members locked out by Kellogg.

Hundreds of community and religious activists joined the BCTGM and other labor and allied organizations in events to commemorate the legacy of Dr. King, while highlighting the current struggle of Kellogg workers in Memphis.

BCTGM International President David Durkee and International Secretary Treasurer Steve Bertelli led a large group of locked out Local 252G members, families and supporters down Main Street for the 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Parade.

BCTGM members from as far away as Ohio and Michigan came to march with their locked out union brothers and sisters. Hundreds of union members, dressed in bright yellow Kellogg Lockout: Memphis, Tenn. shirts, carried signs and a banner, “Kellogg: This is NOT the 1960s – We Already Won Our Rights!”

Following the parade, President Durkee and the locked out Kellogg workers were honored as special guests during a Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration service sponsored by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

In his remarks to the special gathering at Cane Creek Baptist Church, Durkee reflected on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., noting that Dr. King’s passionate fight to end social and economic injustice resonates today just as it did nearly 50 years ago.

“One of those fights is going on right here in Memphis. This fight embodies all that is wrong with today’s America.  But it also illustrates the spirit, unity, and resilience of America’s working families and the communities that they live in,” Durkee told the crowd.

“You are all well aware that three months ago Kellogg Company locked the doors to its Memphis plant, telling its hard working employees to go home, and not to bother returning until they would agree to a contract that would set back the next generation of Kellogg workers. Not just here in Memphis; but all over North America,” said Durkee.

He noted that Kellogg is a $14 billion dollar company that pays its CEO and top executives millions of dollars, while simultaneously lavishing its dividends and stock buybacks on its largest investors. “And yet despite all these riches, Kellogg turned on its workforce, their families, and their communities.”

Reflecting on the abrupt announcement made by Kellogg just two weeks before Christmas that it plans to close plants in London, Ontario and Charmhaven, Australia, Durkee said, “It goes without saying that these closings will devastate the local economies and hurt both communities. More middle-class jobs will disappear.  And I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that Kellogg just built another plant in Mexico.

“Kellogg, it turns out, is just like every other large company beholden to Wall St. Profits before people. The downsizing of the middle-class and the destruction of the American dream,” added Durkee.

Fighting Back

“But Kellogg and its friends on Wall Street are in for a rude awakening.  As Dr. King said nearly fifty years ago : ‘Something is happening in Memphis; something is happening in this world.’  And that something is a movement to take back our communities. To fight for justice. To fight for power.

“Dr. King knew that if a movement was to be successful, people of all different types would have to come together. And we are seeing that today!,” Durkee proclaimed.

“One of Dr. King’s lasting legacies was his firm belief that people would indeed stand up for themselves; that they would fight for equality and justice; and that they would band together with their fellow citizens and demand a better day. That time is now,” concluded Durkee.

Read entire speech here.

A series of videos were launched today to tell the story of the actions Kellogg is taking against its workers around the globe.

While the CEO of The Kellogg Company, John Bryant, gets a pay raise of $8 million and investors get rich with increasing dividend payments and share buybacks, thousands of Kellogg employees and the communities they live in are left devastated and angry.  And while the $14 billion global snack food giant prides itself on community involvement and participation in philanthropic causes, recent actions by Kellogg makes it clear that the company is not the beacon of corporate or social responsibility it claims to be.

From the lockout of 220 workers at its cereal plant in Memphis, Tennessee and the announcement made shortly before Christmas that it would be closing plants in the U.S., Canada and Australia, to the shifting of production to low-wage countries, recent measures taken by Kellogg paint a picture of a greed-driven company bent on putting profits before people.

You can watch more videos like the one above and learn about the Kellogg Company’s destruction of the middle class HERE.

TAKE ACTION by sending a letter to CEO John Bryant and Kellogg Company executives through the website, www.KelloggGreed.com.

I remained hopeful that this situation would resolve soon for many days, but as these days turned to weeks, and these weeks to months, I am starting to wonder why nobody is listening to my plea. It hurts to be ignored.

—Kara Butterfield, 15, daughter of Jeff Butterfield, Local 252G locked out Kellogg worker

This morning outside the W.K. Kellogg Foundation headquarters in Battle Creek, Mich., BCTGM Local 252G members illegally locked out by Kellogg in Memphis, Tenn., held a press event to announce a grant application being formally submitted to the Foundation on behalf of the workers’ families.

The $15 million grant request to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation is to assist workers and their families who have been locked out since October 22, 2013. The foundation owns about 22 percent of Kellogg’s total shares outstanding, making it the company’s largest share owner.

The estimated $15 million is to cover the cost to the 226 locked out members and their families for wages, benefits, and health insurance lost in the first 184 days of the lockout.

Local 252G President Kevin Bradshaw explained the intention of the grant request to the press saying, “This grant is for the children of the Memphis lockout, who are the innocent victims of this misguided iron-fisted, profit-at-all-costs, global plan Kellogg calls ‘Project K.’”

Bradshaw further described the impact of the lockout on the Memphis cereal workers and their families. “For six long painful months, Memphis families have endured foreclosure notices on their homes, repossession of vehicles, delayed medical procedures, depleted savings, children taken out of schools, children with disabilities whose parents are desperately trying to cobble together ongoing care by whatever means possible, the hounding of bill collectors and the toll on family relationships that surpasses any monetary worth.

“Sadly, to date, this Foundation and its leadership have been noticeably silent about the direction of this company as it tramples over every inch of its purported values and mission. We, the locked out families of Memphis, want the Kellogg Foundation to know that their silence has been an answer to this ongoing travesty and that silence has spoken volumes about the true commitment of this foundation to the legacy of W.K.Kellogg,” said Bradshaw.

Following Bradshaw’s comments, children of locked out Local 252G members distributed a booklet containing personal stories of how the lockout has hurt their families. Written by 18 kids of locked out Kellogg workers, the booklet is entitled, “In Our Own Words.”

At the conclusion of the event, BCTGM International President David Durkee, International Secretary Treasurer Steve Bertelli, and more than 20 locked out Kellogg workers attempted to visit members of the W.K. Foundation to further discuss the illegal lockout, but were turned away.

Tell Kellogg to restore the values and principles of W.K. Kellogg!  Click here to send a letter to CEO John Bryant.

A federal judge yesterday granted an injunction ordering the Kellogg Company to end its lockout of 226  BCTGM Local 252G members—at its Memphis cereal plant and reinstate them to their jobs within five days.

Judge Samuel H. Mays, of the Western District of Tennessee, also ordered Kellogg to bargain with the union in good faith; offer reinstatement to every worker to their former or equivalent positions; re-establish the same terms and conditions of employment prior to the company’s last/best offer; and, submit to the court details of its compliance with the order within 20 days.

BCTGM International President David B. Durkee, said, “A federal judge agreed entirely and unequivocally with the union and the National Labor Relations Board. Judge Mays rejected each and every argument Kellogg has made since this dispute began.”

Durkee noted that the decision validates what the BCTGM has contended since the beginning of the lockout. “Our members and their families have been subjected to more than 280 days of unnecessary pain and suffering at the hands of Kellogg. We applaud Judge Mays for beginning the process of righting this senseless tactic that was brutally imposed on these workers and their families. We look forward to our members returning to do what they do best — producing a quality product,” said Durkee.

In the decision, Mays said that imposing a lockout over non-mandatory terms is unlawfully coercive and “discriminate[s] against the employees for their participation in protected collective bargaining activity.”

The BCTGM has argued that Kellogg’s proposals in local bargaining would have changed already agreed upon wage rates and benefits for regular employees, thus modifying the terms and conditions contained in the Master Contract that governs such terms and is in effect until October 2015.  Mays validates the union’s position in his ruling, stating:

“Kellogg’s proposals were not to change the Casual employee program, as it insists it had the right to demand. Rather, Kellogg effectively demanded changes to the wage rates of new or rehired Regular employees. Those rates are set in the Master Agreement. The good-faith bargaining required by the Act does not allow Kellogg to use creative semantics to force midterm changes in the wages of new or rehired Regular employees in violation of the Master Agreement.”

Mays concluded that it was “just and proper” to end the lockout.

“The lockout, which has deprived the employees of their pay and health insurance, has been ongoing for nine months. The administrative process may continue for many months and even years to come. To allow the lockout to continue through that period would place significant hardship on employees in furtherance of Kellogg’s bargaining position, which [the NLRB] has reasonable cause to believe is unlawful. That would undermine the remedial powers of the Board.”

In an action taken to strengthen the BCTGM, enhance membership service and utilize resources more effectively and efficiently, Delegates to the 39th BCTGM Constitutional Convention overwhelmingly passed Resolution Number 28, which Amends Article IV, Sections 1 and 5 of the BCTGM International Constitution to Consolidate Regions One and Two and to rename the Regions.  Click HERE to zoom in or print a PDF of the image below.

Today, workers at the Bimbo Bakeries USA high performance facility in Elkhart, Indiana voted to become members of BCTGM Local 1 (Chicago). This is the fourth Bimbo high performance workplace the Union has organized in the last 22 months.

In 2010, Bimbo Bakeries USA announced it would invest one billion dollars into upgrading and building new high performance bakeries in the United States.  Bimbo built four brand new high performance bakeries in Rockwall, Texas; Lehigh Valley, Pa., Topeka, Kansas and Elkhart, Indiana.

In the winter of 2012, BCTGM successfully organized the plant in Rockwall and went on to negotiate an outstanding first contract for the new members of Local 111.

In August 2013, the BCTGM organized the high performance bakery in Lehigh Valley and the proud members of Local 6 (Philadelphia) are enjoying the benefits of their first BCTGM contract.

In the fall of 2013, workers from the Topeka bakery reached out to the BCTGM through the International’s website, requesting help organizing their high performance workplace. Local 218 representatives went on to successfully organize the facility in January of this year.

The new members of Local 1 in Elkhart mark the fourth and final new Bimbo high performance workplaces to join the BCTGM.

Reflecting on the importance of the efforts to organize all of the new Bimbo bakeries, BCTGM International President David Durkee said, “Amazing! Congratulations to all of the organizers who have worked so hard on these campaigns in the last 22 months!”

The lead organizer for the campaign in Elkhart was International Representative Dennis Howard and the campaign coordinator was Director of Organization John Price.

Local 1 organizers, who were vital to the success of this campaign, included President Donald Woods, Recording Secretary Beth Zavala, Organizer Rochelle Ross and Financial Secretary-Treasurer John Howard.

In 2006, organizers at Local 358 (Richmond, Va.) were extremely disappointed after workers at the Supervalu distribution center in Richmond Virginia, voted narrowly against joining the BCTGM.

“It’s a punch in the gut when you lose a campaign,” says International Representative Jim Condran who assisted the local during the organizing drive.  “But we never lost contact with those workers and the organizing committee continued to work doggedly to garner more support.”

Fast forward eight years, and those same organizers are all smiles along with the newest union members.

In late August, more than 300 Supervalu workers voted overwhelmingly to join BCTGM Local 358.

“It’s a much better feeling this time around,” said Local 358 Business Agent Ted Constable.

Despite a coordinated anti-union campaign by outside union busters, BCTGM supporters in the distribution center remained vigilant, educating new employees about the company’s broken promises and informing workers about the benefits of unionization.

According to Director of Organization John Price, establishing a strong base of support is absolutely critical to successful organizing. “Like in most organizing campaigns, your success comes from the work done by the organizing committee and its supporters. The committee in Richmond did a fantastic job educating and organizing,” said Price.

After the initial defeat in 2006, Local 358 leadership maintained contact with its core group of supporters and focused on educating other employees about their rights, dealing with issues at work and informing them continuously on what a union contract could do for them.

According to BCTGM International President David Durkee, it is imperative that local unions maintain contact with workers at locations where they may not have won an organizing drive on the first try.  “Local 358 has a history of going back to organizing sites where they have not experienced a victory on its first attempt,” said Durkee. “And it is because of their persistence, more than 300 new workers will get to experience the benefits of belonging to the BCTGM.”

Supervalu is a retail and grocery distribution powerhouse in the United States. The corporation, headquartered in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, has been in business for over a century and is the third-largest food retailing company in the United States (after Kroger and Safeway).

In January 2013, the company announced it was selling the Acme Markets, Shaw’s and Jewel-Osco chains and their remaining Albertsons stores to Cerberus Capital Management for $100 million in cash, with Cerberus assuming $3.2 billion in existing debt. SuperValu would keep its Cub, Farm Fresh, Shoppers, Shop ‘n Save and Hornbacher’s brands as well as its wholesale supply operation while the Acme, Shaw’s, Star Market, and Jewel-Osco stores were reunited with Albertsons. The deal closed March 21, 2013.

The BCTGM represents members at Supervalu retailers across the country.

As BCTGM members and their families welcome a New Year, we can look back at 2014 as a source of great pride and optimism for our Union.  While the BCTGM and our members certainly faced serious and difficult challenges on many fronts, we are heading into the New Year as a stronger, battle-tested Union, fully prepared to take whatever action is necessary to improve the lives of our members and bring the benefits of BCTGM membership to more workers in our industries.

Central to our Union’s future success is vigorous and aggressive action to organize non-union workers within our industries — and 2014 was one of the strongest years for BCTGM organizing in recent memory.

We have seen a genuine commitment to organize new members by a growing number of local unions. Working closely with International Union officers, the Director of Organization and other International staff, these locals devoted the energy and resources necessary to engage in quality campaigns.

In Chicago, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ga., the BCTGM made good on this Union’s commitment to organize reopened Hostess bakeries by going toe-to-toe with two of the most powerful private equity companies on Wall Street and coming away with three solid organizing victories this spring.

In Topeka, Kan. and Elkhart, Ind., the BCTGM completed the process of organizing each of Bimbo Baking’s state-of-the art, high performance bakeries in the U.S, demonstrating once again that this Union speaks to the needs and aspirations of workers in our industries, regardless of the type of workplace or its location. These two impressive victories came on the heels of our previous groundbreaking organizing victories at Bimbo’s high-performance workplaces in Rockwall, Tex. (2012) and Lehigh Valley, Pa. (2013).

In Richmond, Va., the BCTGM proved the depth and duration of our commitment to unorganized workers when we organized a major SuperValu distribution center eight years after a hard fought, very close, but unsuccessful campaign.  Workers in that facility never gave up and neither did the BCTGM.

In Paris, Tex., the BCTGM organized a former BCTGM-represented bakery that had closed and was reopened by J. Skinner Bakeries.  Ninety-three percent of the workers voted BCTGM –  extraordinary testament to the excellent reputation the BCTGM earned over many years among workers in that plant and within that community.

In Chicago, the BCTGM overcame harsh, anti-union tactics by Lifeway Foods and won an extremely difficult campaign in the dairy products industry – an industry very important to the future growth of this Union.

Victories at Penford Foods in Washington State, Safeway bakers in California, Gourmet Bakers in British Columbia, and Bimbo distribution in Massachusetts added to the string of 2014 BCTGM organizing successes.

BCTGM locals in “right-to-work for less” states made real strides in signing up non-union workers in BCTGM-represented shops.  Internal organizing remains a vital component of the BCTGM’s overall organizing strategy as it improves the Union’s bargaining strength in those shops and in our industries.

To enhance our organizing efforts, the International Union accelerated and upgraded organizing training for International staff and local union officers, stewards and activists.  This initiative paid great dividends in 2014 campaigns and will be expanded in the coming years.

As a former principal officer of my local union, Local 280 (Evansville, Ind.), and International Director of Organization, I have a great appreciation for those local union leaders who step up and take on the difficult, but absolutely necessary, responsibility of organizing. And, I have the deepest respect for all of the courageous workers who overcome employer harassment, coercion and intimidation and vote for a better life through BCTGM representation.

The BCTGM is on an organizing roll and we are not stopping! I have great confidence that the future for our Union, our members and our families is very bright.

On behalf of the International Union officers and staff, I hope our entire BCTGM family enjoyed a joyous holiday season and wish everyone a healthy and prosperous New Year!

“Senator Elizabeth Warren recently gave a speech where she made her case for electing women Democrats to Congress saying, ‘If you don’t have a seat at the table, you’re probably on the menu.’ And this is something I’ve started telling workers in organizing campaigns.”

— John Price, BCTGM International Director of Organization

Workers at the Penford Foods plant in Seattle became fed up with the company’s elimination of benefits and contacted the BCTGM. They are now members of BCTGM Local 9.

Acknowledging that organizing is demanding and often frustrating work, BCTGM Director of Organization John Price notes that it’s also the most rewarding job in the labor movement because, “It is incredibly satisfying to help workers organize and fight against injustice.”

Given how completely inadequate U.S. labor laws are and the brutality of some anti-union employer campaigns, Price says, “It’s understandable why workers are filled with fear and local union organizers get discouraged. But still, a major commitment is necessary.”

At the former Hostess bakery in Columbus, Ga., workers voted to bring the BCTGM back into the bakery by voting to join Local 42.

It is the commitment of Price and a small army of International Union staff and local union organizers that led to a very high number of successful NLRB and Canadian certification organizing campaigns in 2014, bringing in more than 1,300 new members to the BCTGM.  On top of these victories, the BCTGM had outstanding success in signing up new members in BCTGM-represented shops in “right-to-work for less” states.

“As an International Union, we are creating a culture of organizing within our own ranks. And workers are hearing about us. Plant by plant, despite anti-union employers and broken labor laws, workers are reaching out to local union leaders and representatives of our Union and voting to join the BCTGM,” notes BCTGM International President David Durkee.

James Skinner Baking Co. Workers Vote Union

Workers distribute informational fliers outside the James Skinner Baking Co. plant in Paris Tex. More than 80 percent of the bakery workers voted to join the BCTGM on Nov. 18

When the Sara Lee bakery in Paris, Texas shuttered its doors in December 2011, BCTGM Local 111 (Dallas) members were devastated. Many of the workers had more than 20 years of seniority at the bakery, which had been under a union contract since 1974.

The bakery sat idle until late 2012 when Omaha, Neb.-based James Skinner Baking Co. purchased the facility and invested $25 million in upgrades. The 350,000-square-foot bakery reopened in 2013 and hired nearly 400 workers – a majority of whom were former BCTGM members.

Workers quickly discovered the vast difference between working in a union bakery versus a non-union bakery. Unhappy about being treated unfairly, workers reached out to the BCTGM through the union’s online organizing contact form.

“This is a classic example of the excellent representation by the BCTGM,” says Director of Organization John Price. “Workers at this bakery remembered what it was like having a BCTGM contract and the respect and protection it brought to the plant floor. More than 80 percent of the workers immediately signed union authorization cards,” Price says.

On November 18, workers voted overwhelmingly to become members of  BCTGM Local 111. According to Price, rank-and-file Local 111 organizers Royce Stogner, Bridget Alaman and Martha Kiblinger were vital to the success of the campaign.

Stogner, a retired member of Local 111 who worked at the former Sara Lee plant for more than 20 years and served as chief steward, was key to communicating with the workers. “Everyone knows and trusts Royce and they could relate to him on a personal and professional level,” notes Price.

Additionally, BCTGM rank-and-file Organizer Jason Davis, Local 103 (Orlando) Financial Secretary/Business Agent, assisted Price in the campaign.

James Skinner Baking Co. supplies more than 200 million pastries and baked goods per year to customers throughout the U.S. Its products are offered under the Skinner brand and other branded and private label names to store bakeries, foodservice companies and distributors. BCTGM Local 433 represents workers at the James Skinner Baking facility in Omaha, Neb.

Republican leaders in Congress and the Obama Administration have declared that trade is a potential area of compromise this year and working people should be concerned.  New trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are being negotiated in the same failed North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) model. The negotiations are focused on padding corporate profits not increasing workers’ paychecks. Before any trade deal comes to a vote, the administration will ask Congress to pass “Fast Track” legislation.

Call Congress at 1-855-712-8441. Tell them to say NO to “Fast Track” because it harms workers.

What is “Fast Track”?

“Fast Track” is a policy that gives the executive branch the opportunity to negotiate—out of public view—as many trade agreements as it can during a given time period and send them to Congress, which may then only vote yes or no on the agreement; it may not amend the agreement or its “implementing bill,” nor may it send the agreement back to the executive branch with instructions for improvement.

“Fast Track” is dangerous because it forces Congress to make a take-it-or-leave-it decision on a 29 chapter, 1,000 page agreement no matter how bad it is for wages, jobs, small business and the environment. Instead of exercising its constitutional authority to review and amend a trade deal, Congress is unable to improve any section that hurts working people.

A fast track bill was introduced last year but it never came to a vote thanks, in part, to strong opposition from labor, led by the AFL-CIO. That’s because nearly two-thirds of American voters oppose granting the President fast track authority. They believe it gives too much power to one person.

Why is “Fast Track” bad for workers?

No trade deal, no matter how bad, has ever been defeated under “Fast Track” procedures. The minute the negotiators have the “Fast Track” ticket in their hands, they know they are free to agree to provisions that will send jobs overseas, reduce the bargaining power of workers, jeopardize important environmental, health and safety regulations and give global corporations even more influence over our economy. While it’s possible to influence the Administration to reverse course and create a new, pro-worker trade policy, it will be nearly impossible to defeat global corporate interests if “Fast Track” is approved.

Call Congress at 1-855-712-8441. Tell them to say NO to “Fast Track” because it harms workers. 

Call Congress at 1-855-712-8441. Tell them to say NO to “Fast Track” because it harms workers. 

‪#‎FightFastTrack‬ on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1wlpmGy

Chicago, Ill. – BCTGM representatives met today with local and international representatives of Mondelēz International, Inc. to discuss investment plans related to the company’s Chicago bakery located at 7300 South Kedzie Avenue.

Mondelēz essentially told the BCTGM that the workers had to come up with $46 million in annual savings at the Chicago facility for the company, or it would take the $130 million planned investment to its Salinas, Mexico bakery. And, even with the $46 million savings there would still be severe job cuts for workers at the Chicago bakery.

More than 1,000 workers at the bakery are represented by BCTGM Local 300. The Chicago plant, which dates to the 1950s, is the company’s largest U.S. bakery. Union members operate the bakery’s 16 lines producing such brands as Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Nutter Butter, Honey Maid, belVita, Premium, Ritz and Wheat Thins.

“This company has no idea nor does it care to know of the decades of contributions made by generations of employees and their families here in Chicago,” says BCTGM International Vice President Jethro Head, a native of Chicago. “It is deeply offensive to our members that a Chicago-based company would pit its good, hardworking and loyal Chicago workforce against low-wage workers in another country,” he adds.

“Mondelēz representatives came to this meeting knowing the answers they would receive,” notes BCTGM International Strategic Campaign Coordinator Ron Baker. “They are talking about a $130 million investment but they have already invested more than $500 million in the new Salinas, Mexico plant where workers make less than $2.00 per hour and have little to no benefits, “ adds Baker.

“BCTGM members cannot compete with $2.00 per hour wages – nor should they. We will continue to defend our workers and their standard of living,” concludes Baker.

The company’s contract with BCTGM Local 300 expires on February 28, 2016. The BCTGM represents approximately 4,000 Mondelēz workers in manufacturing facilities, flour mills and distribution centers across North America.

Mondelēz International, Inc. is a $35 billion multi-national confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate, employing around 107,000 people around the world. It comprises the global snack and food brands of the former Kraft Foods Inc.

Mondelēz CEO Irene Rosenfeld took in more than $21 million in total compensation in 2014.

Pictured here after the final votes were counted is (from left, front row) Intl. Rep. David Woods, Randy Williams, George Key, Tony Sanders, L. 42 Bus. Agt. Zach Townsend and L. 149 Pres./GEB member Letitia Malone, (from left, back row) Vanessa Corbitt, Allan Wright, Joseph Dickens and Phyllis Dickens.

It was the unwavering strength and courage of 80 workers at a peanut shelling plant in Alabama that prevailed in their fight for dignity and respect through BCTGM representation.

Harassment, favoritism, prejudice and unfair work rules were what workers were forced to tolerate regularly from management at the Golden Peanut plant in Headland, Ala.

The facility, owned by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), is a shelling plant for Runner peanuts, as well as a hull and fiber processing plant. Workers at the plant work in the production, maintenance, quality control and shipping departments.

“These workers were fearless to the end,” reflects BCTGM International Representative David Woods, who led the workers’ efforts to organize. “This is really a story of human dignity. These are hardworking folks who were sick and tired of being treated poorly.”

The workers were also aided by new union election rules implemented by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on April 14. Thanks to an expedited union election process, on May 19 the workers voted overwhelmingly to become members of BCTGM Local 42 (Atlanta).

BCTGM International Director of Organization John Price notes that this was the BCTGM’s first union election under the new NLRB rules. The rules set forth an “accelerated election” process, speeding up the time between the filing of a representation petition and the union election.

After learning that the BCTGM represents thousands of ADM workers in locations around the country, workers reached out to BCTGM Local 42 (Atlanta) Business Manager Zach Townsend. Through a series of phone calls with Townsend, workers detailed the working conditions at Golden Peanut and the reasons why they needed a union.

“They were desperate for help. These people were so sincere about what they wanted and how hard they were willing to work to have a union,” recalls Townsend, who worked extensively on the campaign.

“These are good, hardworking people who take great pride in the jobs they do but who have been discriminated against and disrespected in every way imaginable,” Townsend reflects.

BCTGM Southern Region Vice President James Rivers, Price and Woods joined Townsend in Headland and the campaign escalated quickly. Local 149 (Memphis) President and International General Executive Board member Letitia Malone also assisted with the campaign.

“It was just a flood of interest and emotion,” recalls Woods. “Workers who wanted to help started showing up or contacting me directly. The first week I was in town, 25 workers came to sign union cards,” he adds.

On April 29, Woods filed for the election and it was scheduled for 20 days later. “The company wanted a later election date to wear workers out. But they  weren’t successful and the union’s request was granted and the election was set.”

According to Price, the new election rules do work to cut down on the time companies have to intimidate workers. “The beautiful thing with this campaign is that the organizers filed as soon as they knew they had the majority of workers on board – giving the company less time to run its anti-union campaign. By the time they knew the date of the election, management could only hold two captive meetings. They ran out of time to manipulate and lie to the workers,” says Price.

However, the anti-union campaign intensified in those 20 days before the workers voted, said Woods. “But they were well prepared for the company’s tactics and they had the courage to stand up and take them on. They stood strong together – even when they knew it may cost them their jobs. They wanted change so badly that they risked it all,” adds Woods.

The excitement never subsided. On the day and night of the union representation vote, workers steadily came to vote, to watch their co-workers vote and wait for news of the victory that they were confident they would have.

Randy Williams, a machine operator, says that the night of the election he, “felt like it was a new beginning sent from God to all the employees at Golden Peanut.”

“They stayed strong together and were so appreciative to the BCTGM. It was never about the money — and they had so little. This was a fight for respect and decency. They fought for one another and never backed down,” concludes Townsend.

Allen Wright, a maintenance worker, reflected on the unity of the Golden Peanut workers saying, “Thank you Lord for teaching us and allowing us to unify against oppression to bring about a positive change in our workplace.”

And machine operator George Key was thankful to have met the BCTGM organizers and thanked everyone who helped the workers in their fight for dignity and respect, saying, “Thank God for the BCTGM!”

The BCTGM International was informed today by Mondelēz that the company had chosen to spend $130 million in new investment at its Salinas, Mexico plant, rather than at the historic Chicago facility, represented by BCTGM Local 300.

As part of this investment, Mondelēz will install four new lines at its Mexico plant, replacing nine production lines at its historic Chicago facility, where approximately 1,000 workers are represented by BCTGM Local 300.

The Chicago plant, which dates to the 1950s, is the company’s largest U.S. bakery. Union members operate all of the bakery’s 16 lines producing such iconic brands as Oreo, Chips Ahoy, Nutter Butter, Honey Maid, belVita, Premium, Ritz and Wheat Thins.

In responding to the company’s announcement, BCTGM International Vice President and lifelong Chicago resident, Jethro Head, states, “The announcement by Mondelēz is not a surprise and validates exactly what the BCTGM said when we met with its representatives in May − that the company had already decided that it was going to put the new production lines in Mexico.

“We knew this because they came to the table with no legitimate, comprehensive proposal for us to review and no detailed production and financial data for us to analyze, all of which is essential for our Union and members to make a responsible and well-informed assessment and decision.”

BCTGM International Strategic Campaign Coordinator Ron Baker explains, “When we did the basic math on their demand, it was clear to the Union and our Chicago members that the company knew full well that the magnitude of the financial sacrifice being asked of the workers was not only unacceptable, but would not even be feasible. The demand for $46 million in annual savings would continue in perpetuity and require our members to work for almost nothing.”

According to Baker, in order for the union members to generate $46 million in annual savings, they would have to save $46,000 per worker, per year. This amounts to approximately $22 per hour in wage and benefit cuts.

Further, the company informed the Union that in order to secure the $130 million investment in Chicago, at least 255 BCTGM members would lose their jobs despite their tremendous sacrifice.  Thus, for the remaining 745 workers to achieve the $46 million in annual savings, they would have to take cuts in wages and benefits of nearly $30 per hour.

The company would realize the above savings in perpetuity.  In 10 years, the savings would be nearly $500 million; in 20 years nearly $1 billion. Beyond this, by cutting 255 BCTGM jobs, the company will generate an additional $30 million per year in wage and benefit savings.

On July 21^st, the company confirmed to the Union the basic economic assessment outlined above.  Mondelēz further acknowledged to the Union that the company had never before asked its workforce for concessions to pay for capital expenditure projects.  Recent examples include capital expenditure projects at BCTGM-represented bakeries in Richmond, Va., Fairlawn, N.J., and Naperville, Ill.

“The sole purpose of the Mondelēz request to meet with the Union in May was to attempt to reap concessions out of Chicago workers before they made the announcement. This company wanted the Chicago Bakery workers to pay not only for the full cost of putting new ovens in the Chicago facility, but also for the wages of the entire workforce in Salinas, Mexico in perpetuity,” says Baker.

“This effort in Chicago by Mondelēz to have the workforce pay for the company’s capital expenditure project is unprecedented and nothing more than an extension of a corporate scheme to wrangle money out of federal, state and local governments to fund their capital expenditure projects,” adds Baker.

Vice President Head concludes, “Mondelēz may be headquartered 30 miles from the Nabisco Bakery on South Kedzie Avenue, but, sadly, this company’s genuine commitment to our community and our citizens is well in the past.”

The BCTGM represents approximately 4,000 Mondelēz workers in manufacturing facilities, flour mills and distribution centers across North America.

Mondelēz International, Inc. CEO Irene Rosenfeld took in more than $21 million in total compensation in 2014, a nearly $6 million increase from the previous year.  This included a doubling of her annual cash incentive to $3.6 million and a nearly $4 million increase in her pension plan and other retirement benefits.  In the last eight years, Rosenfeld has received approximately $165 million in total compensation.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa — When Ingredion Inc., headquartered in West Chester, Ill., purchased the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Penford Products plant this spring, company officials said that for the immediate future, there would not be drastic changes.

However, contentious negotiations that began June 1, 2015 continue between company officials and representatives of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union (BCTGM) Local 100G (Cedar Rapids) for a successor Agreement covering workers at the plant. The present collective bargaining agreement covering workers at the Cedar Rapids plant expires at on Saturday, August 1.

According to BCTGM International Vice President Jethro Head, who is the lead negotiator for the Local 100G bargaining committee, negotiations have, “been plagued with corporate over-reach and bad faith bargaining.”

The BCTGM bargaining committee has identified more than 100 concessions in the company’s most recent proposal.

“Ingredion’s proposal is one of the most concession-riddled fiascos I have seen in my 40 years in this business,” says Head.  “The company seems determined to intentionally bring this to a showdown here in Cedar Rapids. These proposals are not conducive to any reasonable chance of settlement. This is a typical move by a multi-national corporation detached from its workforce and the communities where the plants are located,” Head notes.

Ingredion, a maker of high-fructose corn syrup, acquired the Penford Corp. in March 2015 for about $340 million to add potato starches to its range of specialty food ingredients. Approximately 160 Local 100G members are employed at the Cedar Rapids Penford plant, which produces starches.

“Ingredion officials direct outside negotiators and attorneys to dismantle worker’s lives and destroy communities by siphoning resources from working families and putting them directly into their pockets. We cannot and will not allow Ingredion to do this to Cedar Rapids,” adds Head. “We are going to stand up for our members and the other working families in Cedar Rapids. It is going to stop here.”

Chris Eby, Local 100G President notes, “It is obvious that the company’s positions at the bargaining table are intended to avoid a settlement. Ingredion negotiators could not even apply a cost savings to the proposals that have been put across the table.”

According to Head, Ingredion has brought in trailers, roll-away beds and added extra security, which could be used to house replacement workers. “This is a means to threaten and intimidate the workforce and another sign that Ingredion never intended to bargain in good faith,” adds Head.

“By adding the very prospect of replacement workers into the bargaining process, the company proves its willingness to allow another layer of outsiders to take work from the Cedar Rapids community. Ingredion and companies like them use these migratory job predators in an attempt to beat their employees and their communities economically,” Head states.

“Typically, these replacement workers – or scabs, as we call them – will keep local law enforcement on their toes and everyone in Cedar Rapids will be locking their doors at night. Once these scabs are done, they leave town and move to the next community where they take advantage of another workforce and the communities in which they live,” explains Head.

“We are ready to defend our hard-working members, their families and the city of Cedar Rapids with every resource available,” concludes Head.

Iowa State Representative Art Staed (D-Cedar Rapids), who attended a July 27 informational picket outside the Penford facility, told local news channel KCRG-TV9 that he joined union members outside the plant to support Iowa jobs, learn more about the negotiations, and listen to the concerns of the community he represents.

“We want to have good paying jobs and we want employers and workers to respect one and other and to work together,” Staed said in the news report. “This is an ethanol plant right down in the city of Cedar Rapids so I want to make sure that we have good qualified workers here.”

Ingredion’s CEO, President and Chairman Ilene S. Gordon was paid nearly $8 million dollars in salary and other compensation in 2014. Ingredion has 11,000 employees at 36 locations worldwide.

Kensington, MD – More than BCTGM 1,300 members at four Kellogg cereal plants voted to ratify a new five-year Master Contract to replace the one set to expire on October 3, 2015. The locations of the plants included under the new Agreement are Lancaster, Pa. (374G), Battle Creek, Mich. (Local 3G), Omaha, Neb. (50G), and Memphis, Tenn. (252G).

The five-year deal includes a five-year moratorium on plant closings, solid wage and pension increases and maintenance of health care benefits.  Kellogg approached the Union to conduct the negotiations early in hopes of arriving at an amicable agreement well before the contract expiration. Members of the locals authorized their leadership to engage Kellogg in these early negotiations.

BCTGM International Vice President Midwest Region Jethro Head chaired the Union negotiating team together with International Secretary-Treasurer Steven Bertelli, and was assisted by representatives of each of the local unions. “This was as fine a team effort as I’ve been involved with in any negotiations. These negotiations were not easy and the local union leaders worked diligently to address the issues. They made difficult and important decisions on behalf of their respective members. They should be proud of their accomplishments and the solidarity that they showed during the process,” Vice President Head states.

Head adds, “The five-year moratorium on plant closings provides our members with a sense of security and hope for the future.  Additionally, the moratorium offers the strong likelihood of repatriation of production from non-union facilities in North America to BCTGM-represented factories.”

“These employees and their families will continue to enjoy a premier wage and benefit package and can face their future employment prospects with renewed confidence in both their active employment and into their retirement years,” explains Secretary-Treasurer Bertelli.  “Our members have been dedicated to their work for Kellogg and that dedication will continue to be rewarded under this new Agreement as they produce the quality Kellogg cereal brands that are recognized around the world,” reflects Bertelli.

This new five-year Agreement comes on the heels of a nearly 10-month lockout of the Memphis workforce which ended with an injunction by a Federal Judge one year to the day that the membership of the local unions voted to ratify this new Contract.

BCTGM International President David Durkee believes that the conclusion of this new Agreement “could lead to a revitalized, constructive and mutually beneficial working partnership between Kellogg, its union workforce and the BCTGM; a relationship that can open the door for new BCTGM jobs at Kellogg and the creation of a dynamic synergy for the company in today’s marketplace.”

“The greatest asset any employer has is a dedicated and skilled workforce. Our members, represented by these four BCTGM local unions, are the hard working men and women who daily build these brands from the bottom up. Their exemplary commitment to their work results in the production of Kellogg’s iconic products that are enjoyed in millions of homes,” explains President Durkee.

“I highly commend the BCTGM leadership team that negotiated this Agreement and the membership of our Ready to Eat Cereal locals and Kellogg for arriving at this quality five-year Agreement,” Durkee concludes.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Members of  BCTGM Local 100G continue their fight for a fair new contract with Ingredion, Inc., the Westchester, Ill.-based company that purchased the Penford Products facility this spring. The collective bargaining agreement covering approximately 160 union members at the plant expired on August 1.

The BCTGM has filed Unfair Labor Practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Region 18 Office in Des Moines regarding the company’s unethical behavior before and during the current contract negotiations.

According to Chis Eby, BCTGM Local 100G President and member of the Union negotiating committee, in the weeks leading up to contract talks, management at the plant utilized scare tactics, intimidation and coercion against the workers which further disrupted progress at the bargaining table once contract negotiations began.

Ingredion negotiators proposed more than 120 concessionary changes to the collective bargaining agreement during contract negotiations. “This company has exhibited nothing but contempt for the negotiating process as well as total disrespect for the Union and its members – workers who have devoted their lives to this facility,” says Eby. “These are skilled and dedicated workers who come to work every day ready to do a good job and deserve to work under a fair collective bargaining agreement,” he adds.

Prior to the start of negotiations between the Union and Ingredion, the company brought unknown workers into the plant to “shadow” long-term employees as they performed their jobs. Additional cases of unfamiliar management or replacement workers running equipment was reported by union members, which is in violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Rich Heath, a Local 100G member who has worked at the Penford Products plant for 11 years, says he feels the company went above and beyond efforts to scare the workers into accepting its unfair contract terms. “It seemed clear that the company brought in these folks to intimidate us. The company also transported trailers and cots onto the property as threatening evidence of their plan to use replacement workers. We did not deserve this type of treatment. All we want is a new contract that is fair,” adds Heath.

Ingredion won the 2015 Ethisphere Institute Award and was honored for being the most ethical company in the area of Food and Beverage and touts on its website its commitment to ethical practices under Commercial, Labor and Governmental Relations stating, “Relationships with customers, suppliers, competitors, employees, labor organizations and governmental bodies are to be based on fair dealing; fair competition in quality, price and service; compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Fair dealing means that no unfair advantage is taken through manipulation, concealment or misrepresentation of material facts; abuse of confidential information or like practices.”

BCTGM International Vice President Jethro Head notes the irony of the award saying, “Ingredion left its ethical certificate, policies and practices outside the gate here in Cedar Rapids. We would welcome the company to put these so-called high standards of excellence into action. If Ingredion had abided by an ethical code from the beginning, we would have already made substantial progress on a fair new collective bargaining agreement.”

Members of BCTGM Local 100G have voted to authorize a strike but continue to work under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that expired on August 1.