Why Are Kellogg’s Workers On Strike?

Kevin Bradshaw is Vice President of BCTGM Native 252G in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dan Osborn is President of BCTGM Native 50G in Omaha, Nebraska.

Word: This interview has been edited for size and readability.

Errol Schweizer: What’s your position at Kellogg’s?

Kevin Bradshaw: As an worker, I work within the warehouse, making the product and delivery it all around the world. I’ve been doing it for about twenty years. I’m the vp of the native right here. 

Dan Osborn: My job at Native 50G is I’m president. Usually my position is the enterprise finish of the native union. Just lately it’s been to prepare the strike that’s occurring proper now, in addition to speak to the media and get our message out. At Kellogg’s, I’m a mechanic. I’ve been a mechanic for eighteen years. My attendance fee is 99% as a devoted worker.

Errol: What are the problems right here?

Kevin: The difficulty right here is all about the way forward for the working individual in America. Right here at Kellogg’s it’s about lowering the hourly wage fee. It’s about chopping advantages, pension, retirement and well being care that’s important for any working individual in America and dealing individual on the planet.

We went into an deadlock final 12 months, about advantages and wages and insurance coverage that have been supposedly unsustainable for the corporate. And we pushed again as a result of we wished to work with the corporate in good religion. However the issues that they’re asking for are simply outrageous. I imply, they’re ridiculous. Taking somebody’s pay and chopping it by $13 an hour. There’s no method to truly ever maximize pay, no method to retire with insurance coverage or well being care or pension plans. And to only work daily, seven days per week, twelve, sixteen hours a day, and by no means have something to point out for it on the finish of your profession.

Dan: Our CEO, from 2020 to 2021, has taken a twenty % enhance in his compensation, in addition to the highest executives, they’ve been taking will increase. So this contract that expired on October 4th, we’re at the moment on a two tier wage system. Thirty % of workers are on a decrease tier making eleven, twelve {dollars} an hour much less, larger insurance coverage premium, much less trip, decrease trip pay. So we’re all concerning the equalization of wages, we need to carry these thirty % as much as the upper tier stage of staff. The corporate’s proposal was to get rid of that thirty % cap and finally get everyone on that decrease tier whereas the corporate is making report income.

Errol: How has the Covid-19 pandemic impacted working situations?

Dan: 2020 is definitely when this contract expired the primary time. We labored below an extension of that very same contract for a 12 months up till October 2021. In 2019, Kellogg’s Omaha didn’t rent any workers. They then shortened our numbers. In my enterprise, we run a twenty 4 hour cycle, seven days per week, twelve months. There’s a pair days the place we shut right down to fumigate for bugs, issues like that. However usually we’re working full manufacturing on a regular basis. So if you would not have sufficient workers, that must be coated by workers who’re at work within the type of pressured extra time. That’s twelve hours a day. I work a 7:00 to three:00 shift. So they arrive as much as me at 2:59 and inform me I started working until 7:00 P.M. Then come as much as me at 6:59 and inform me I received to be again in at 3:00 A.M. to cowl vacancies. And so everyone within the plant was already working quite a lot of extra time after which the pandemic hit. And at one level, we had shut to at least one hundred individuals out both with COVID-19 or from COVID-19 protocols. And in order that solely elevated the extra time that we have been working and we didn’t shut the plant down. We continued offering cereal to the nation. And we did so tirelessly. We labored and labored and labored and Kellogg’s continued to make report income by the pandemic. So you realize, we aren’t asking for wage will increase. We’re not asking for higher advantages.

Errol: What’s at stake?

Kevin: What we’re standing for is for Kellogg’s to proceed to be honest to workers due to the work we do and the cash that we make them. And we simply need to hold issues the way in which they’re, to have the ability to pay individuals what they deserve the paid. As a result of what they’re asking for is simply ludicrous. We simply need to have the ability to defend the longer term employee. “Properly, if you happen to guys settle for this, they received’t have something to do with you, however everyone coming behind you, now you not have healthcare advantages. However you continue to can come work right here for 13 {dollars} an hour lower than what we make.” So why would individuals need to be in a union that bought them out for one thing as loopy as this? So we’re combating for the working class, we’re combating for households, we’re combating for family members, we’re combating for America. Your battle is our battle.

Dan: They stated they’re ready to maneuver these manufacturing amenities right down to Mexico. The principle factor that may price Kellogg’s cash is equalization of wages inside our ranks. Kellogg’s got here out within the media and acknowledged that our proposals would price the corporate $60 million. In 2020, in the course of the negotiations, earlier than we began the extension, there was a Kellogg’s govt who acknowledged in negotiations that he’s keen to spend $10 million a day to maintain us out on the road. And to do away with our union primarily. Properly, if he’s keen to spend $10 million a day, I’m not a mathematician, however that’s six days out on the road.

And that that doesn’t make any sense to me. That’s who we’re coping with proper now. And it’s irritating at a time, the place it’s onerous to seek out workers, at a time the place they’re making income. It doesn’t make any sense and I can’t wrap my head across the timing. I hold coming again to the identical factor and its company greed. I do know that’s a slogan that will get thrown round lots. However that is what it’s.

Errol: So ought to people skip the Frosted Flakes? 

Kevin: Oh, yeah. I imply, they received to go. Depart the cereal within the retailer. We make the bottom price of cereal in america proper right here in Memphis, Tennessee, together with my three different sister vegetation in Omaha, Nebraska, Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Battle Creek, Michigan. They talked concerning the $120,000 that we made a 12 months however they didn’t inform anybody that comes from obligatory every day extra time, fifteen hours a day, seven days per week continuous. So we’re combating for our households, and we’re right here to remain. At some point longer, in the future stronger, they usually’re threatening to carry scabs to interchange us. We all know throughout a lockout from 2013 they spent over nearly $50 million in ten months to attempt to save $8 million with scabs. And we had scabs working within the plant that really received tried and convicted and are in jail proper now for urinating on the cereal belts. Nobody desires to eat “rice pispies”. You realize what I imply? We need to eat Rice Krispies.

Errol: How can people assist you?

Kevin: You possibly can assist us by going to the Union page and also you’ll get all of the hyperlinks that you simply want. I simply need to say we admire all of the assist in Memphis, from the spiritual group, the Memphis Police Division, the Fireplace Division. We’ve got individuals on the road proper now like Dr. Earl Fisher, who’s a pastor right here within the metropolis of Memphis. We’ve got quite a lot of assist from quite a lot of completely different organizations.

Dan: Go browsing and do a fast Google search and determine what manufacturers Kellogg’s has. I imply they’re an enormous company and do your half and boycott it. Kellogg’s isn’t the one recreation on the town. Whenever you’re on the retailer all it’s a must to do is make a aware choice to place that field of Apple Jacks again and seize one of many others.

The second merchandise could be to go to our website and donate by PayPal

PYPL
, 5 bucks, 10 bucks. We’ve got individuals battling most cancers out on these picket strains proper now. We’ve got individuals whose households we’ve got autistic kids that want medical consideration. In order that that that may undoubtedly assist ease a few of our struggles that we’re coping with.