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Letters of Solidarity
Local 19, Cleveland, Ohio:
"We urge all of you to keep up your solidarity and to not be fooled by the union busting tactics of your local management team that is working hard to interfere with your democratic rights and choices. Clearly, their interests are not in your best interest..."
Paris, France:
"Almost 75% of Dannon workers worldwide are organized in a union. Thanks to the agreement recently signed between the IUF and Dannon, union delegates have the chance to meet every year with the chairman and CEO of Dannon and discuss policy and practice and air the views and issues relevant for the workers they represent..."
France:
"...we understand that Dannon local management is interfering with the democratic process by attempting to discredit the BCTGM. This goes against the letter and spirit of the agreement signed by the IUF and Dannon top management..."
Click here to read the full letter of support from FGA-CFDT EVIAN France
Belgium:
"The IUF has protested strongly to corporate HR management for the Americas. We support this protest and support the efforts made by BCTGM to organize the West Jordan factory and bring it into the family of other organized factories in the US and abroad..."
Click here to read the full letter of support from ACV Food and Services, Belgium
Turkey:
"We are prepared to show solidarity to all West Jordan workers with all means at our disposal. Solidarity forever!..."
Click here to read the full letter of support from Tekgıda-Is Trade Union, TURKEY
Hamburg, Germany:
"Representing Dannon workers in Germany, we strongly protest against Dannon local management's behavior and fully support BCTGM efforts to organize the West Jordan factory and open contract negotiations in good faith with management..."
Click here to read the full letter of support from Gwerkschaft Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststatten/ Hamburg, Germany
West Minster, Ohio:
BCTGM Local 19 members employed at the Dannon facility in Minster, Ohio support West Jordan, Utah worker’s in their efforts to join the BCTGM.
International Solidarity
In today's global economy, our goal must be internationally negotiated rights and standards within global companies.
On an International level, the BCTGM is an affiliate of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers Associations (IUF), connecting North America's unionized workers with those unionized food and beverage workers throughout the world.
The IUF represents workers in:
- Processing and manufacture of food and beverages;
- Agriculture and plantations;
- Hotels, restaurants, tourism, and catering services;
- Tobacco processing.
From it's founding in 1920, international labor solidarity has been the IUF's guiding principle. This principle is implemented through:
- Building solidarity at every stage of the food chain;
- Global action to defend human, democratic and trade union rights;
- International union organizing with transnational companies.
IUF & Groupe Danone
The IUF and Groupe Danone started as early as 1985 to discuss industrial relations at the international level. Joint meetings between central management and IUF-affiliated unions representing workers at Danone subsidiaries were organized on a yearly basis beginning in 1986.
In 1989, two agreements were signed on economic and social information for staff and their representatives and on equality at work for men and women. An agreement on skills training was signed in 1992.
In 1994 an agreement on trade union rights was agreed upon.
These agreements establish minimum standards throughout Groupe Danone operations, including in the United States.
According to the 1999 Forward signed by Danone CEO F. Riboud and IUF General Secretary Ron Oswald:
"It is the express wish of both Groupe Danone and the IUF that Groupe Danone management at every level and trade unions throughout Groupe Danone work constructively to ensure that the standards expressed in these agreements are fully met, and where possible, exceeded." (Geneva, 1999)
According to the agreement on Trade Union Rights, Groupe Danone and the IUF:
- Underline the fundamental right of each employee to be represented and defended by the trade union organization of his/her choice.
- Assert that the counterbalance represented by the trade union organizations contributes to the respect of the needs and aspirations of the workforce by company executives.
- Are convinced that reinforcing democratic forms of co-operation in the enterprise is the responsibility of both parties.
In addition, Groupe Danone and the IUF committed to check throughout all Groupe Danone subsidiaries the correct application of ILO conventions 87, 98, and 135 which concern:
- the right of employees to join the trade union organization of their choice;
- the protection of employees against any act of discrimination leading to the restriction of trade union rights;
- the protection of all workers' representatives from all prejudicial measures, including firing, resulting from their status or activity as representatives of the workforce in accordance with the law, and collective agreements.
The agreement also states that Danone and the IUF:
"encourage management and trade unions to negotiate agreements by publicizing these agreements with the workforce as far as possible."
Letters of Support
During their 2007 campaign to join the BCTGM, Dannon workers in Minster, Ohio received tremendous International support from union members throughout the world. This page contains letters sent to the Ohio workers from unions across the globe.
Letter on behalf Danone Workers in Belgium
Letter from the food and agricultural workers union of Russia
October 31, 2007: Letter of support for Minster workers from the NGG, the German Food Workers Union.
Translation:
We were informed by the IUF of the difficulties encountered by the North American union organization BCTGM to be recognized by the management of the Danone factory of Minster, Ohio (the United States).
The management of the factory persists in refusing the recognition of the trade union based on a card-check system. According to our information, the management of the parent company supports without reserve this approach.
This attitude appears to us in strong contradiction with the spirit of the agreements signed with the IUF, in particular that which relates to trade-union rights and the freedom of unionization. Insofar as an organization is able to prove that it represents a sufficient number of employees, the parent company must accept that the union is recognized as representative of the whole of the community of workers.
We know that the secretariat of the IUF endeavored to find a positive solution to the blocking of the situation caused by the intransigent attitude of your local management. We are concerned about the persistence of such an attitude at the local level as well as at the central level and concerned that it will generate increasingly important actions of protest likely to have an impact on the image of the company.
We insist you hear the requests of the workers and workers of Minster as expressed November 1 and to agree to recognize BCTGM and to negotiate in good faith with this trade union.
October 12, 2007: Letter of Solidarity to Minster, Ohio workers from European food workers
Copyright © 2007 BCTGM | The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union