After 18 Months at the Table, Bay State Mill Workers in Tolleson, Ariz. Ratify First Contract
Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
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02 Apr After 18 Months at the Table, Bay State Mill Workers in Tolleson, Ariz. Ratify First Contract

Posted at 18:08h in Collective Bargaining, Local Union News, Organizing by

In the fall of 2024, ten workers in the only remaining non-union department at Bay State Milling in Tolleson, Ariz.β€”the milling departmentβ€”voted to join BCTGM Local 232 (Phoenix).

β€œLocal 232 had already represented the packing, loading, warehouse, maintenance and sanitation workers in this plant,” explained Western Region International Representative Andrew Gutierrez at the time. β€œWe had heard from the group in the milling department through the online bctgm.org organizing form before, but it never panned out.”

Workers in that department began asking more questions when Gutierrez was on site servicing the other members that year, and that’s when he started quietly handing his card out to them. They voted YES to joining the union that September.

β€œGetting a first contract proved to be much more challenging than the election,” Gutierrez says. β€œBay State Milling was dead set on bargaining a separate contract, rather than simply adding the group in the existing one like the members wanted.”

During negotiations, company supervisors would often make retaliatory and even illegal comments to the members. According to Gutierrez, they seemed to want to punish the group for wanting to join the union. β€œThey intentionally drew this process out as long as they could, even going as far as engaging in regressive bargaining, which resulted in Local 232 filing Unfair Labor Practice charges with the NLRB,” he says.

After over a year at the table, Gutierrez began feeling like the company might successfully break the workers’ trust and support for the Union before the contract deadline. β€œAt that point, Western Region Vice President Shad Clark came in to assist with negotiations,” he says. β€œThat is what finally helped push it over the finish line.”

On March 22, 2026, 18 months after voting to join Local 232, the milling department workers finally reached an agreement with Bay State and ratified their first BCTGM contract. Among their wins were:

  • bridging a huge pay gap;
  • seniority enforcement language;
  • grievance procedures; and
  • moving off the company’s health insurance and onto the union’s Oregon Bakers’ Trust, which saved them hundreds of dollars per month.

β€œIt was an emotional day for themβ€”and me,” Gutierrez says. β€œThey’ve been through a lot on this job, including pretty serious injuries and wage discrimination, and some of them have dedicated the bulk of their working lives to this company.”

Like so many BCTGM members who have fought to secure union contracts, the unit knew these were good jobsβ€”they merely wanted a voice in shaping them into great ones. β€œThis group is Union to its core, it’s truly inspiring what they’ve gone through to secure this contract,” Gutierrez boasts.

Getting these workers the protection they deserve after 18 months of grueling negotiations is a feeling Gutierrez can’t quite describe. β€œThis is why the BCTGM is so important to me,” he reflects. β€œThis was a tough one, but these moments of seemingly impossible victory make it all worth it.”

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