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About 1,400 Kellogg workers at four US factories have gone on strike after their current union contracts expired and amid accusations that the grain giant is offshoring jobs.
The workers, represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), produce grain for brands such as Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes and Raisin Bran, at factories in Michigan, Tennessee, from Nebraska and Pennsylvania.
Trevor Bidelman, president of BCTGM Local3G and fourth generation employee at Kellogg’s factory in Battle Creek, Michigan, explained that workers are on strike against a proposed two-tier system for current and new employees proposed by Kellogg’s. Bidelman said Kellogg’s did not want to offer pensions for new employees, remove cost-of-living provisions and make changes to paid time off and vacation time.
“We are fighting for our future,” Bidelman said. “We made it clear from the start of the negotiations that this is not something we can agree to.”
Shortly before the strike, Kellogg’s announced plans to cut 212 jobs at the Battle Creek, Mich., Plant over the next two years, including 174 positions represented by the union. The factory currently employs around 390 workers. Kellogg’s plans to streamline efforts and move grain production to other facilities in North America are the reasons for the job cuts.
“It was after only a year that we were hailed as heroes, as we worked during the pandemic, seven days a week, 16 hours a day. Now, apparently, we are no longer heroes. Very quickly you can go from hero to zero, ”Bidelman added. “We don’t have a weekend, really. We only work seven days a week, sometimes 100 to 130 days in a row. The machines run for 28 days and then rest for three days for cleaning. They don’t even treat us as well as their machines.
The union disputed Kellogg’s threat to outsource jobs from the United States to Mexico if workers refused to accept their proposals.
“The company continues to threaten to send additional jobs to Mexico if workers do not accept outrageous proposals that remove protections workers have enjoyed for decades,” BCTGM President Anthony Shelton said in a press release announcing the strikes.
In 2018, 187 workers were laid off at the Battle Creek plant, with work moving to Canada and other US factories. About two years earlier, more than 30 workers were laid off from the factory, with the work being contracted out to India, according to approved petitions for trade adjustment assistance.
“It’s like a death from 1,000 cuts. They’re slowly cutting jobs at the Lancaster plant, ”said Kerry Williams, who works in process maintenance at the Lancaster, Pa. Plant. “We have had to overcome this Covid over the past two years and they just disrespected the name of the union. They even want to remove our union logo from the cardboard cereal box. “
From October 2013 to November 2014, Kellogg’s locked out approximately 220 workers at its Memphis, Tennessee plant while trying to reclassify some workers as “casual” workers in order to cut wages and benefits.
The National Labor Relations Board ultimately ruled the lockout illegal and ordered the reinstatement of the locked out employees with compensation for wages and benefits they lost as a result of the lockout, but in 2016, a federal appeals court overturned this decision.
Food production workers represented by the BCTGM also went on strike at Frito Lay and Nabisco earlier this year, winning new union contracts weeks after leaving their jobs.
Kellogg’s reported a profit of $ 1.25 billion in 2020. Cereal sales increased by more than 8% in 2020 due to increased demand during the pandemic. The company has approved a $ 1.5 billion share buyback program from February 2020 to December 2022. Kellogg’s CEO Steven Cahillane received approximately $ 11.6 million in total compensation in 2020.
Kellogg’s noted that contingency plans are in place to bring in replacement workers, both in-house and through third parties, to avoid production disruptions.
A spokesperson for Kellogg’s said in a statement: “We are disappointed with the union’s decision to strike. Kellogg provides compensation and benefits to our US RTEC employees who are among the best in the industry. Our offering includes salary increases and benefits for our employees, while helping us meet the challenges of the evolving grain industry.
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