BCTGM Local 3 (Long Island City, New York City, N.Y.) successfully organized Essential Wholesale Cheesecake in Brooklyn, N.Y. Local 3 President Narciso Martas stated that it was the bread and butter issues (wages, medical coverage and pension) that lead to the successful organizing campaign which ended in recognition. Essential produces wholesale cheesecakes for the New York City Metropolitan area....
International Vice President Sean Kelly reports that Local 261T ( Quebec City, QC) has successfully organized the warehouse workers employed by Rothman, Benson & Hedges Tobacco in Montreal. These warehouse workers fill salesperson orders. The organizing campaign concluded with certification and no election, after a majority of the authorization for representation cards were provided to the Quebec Labour Board. Workers in Quebec enjoy labor laws that are very similar to provisions in the Employee Free Choice Act...
International Vice President Bob Oakley reports that the International Union and BCTGM Local 70 (Grand Rapids, Mich.) has successfully organized Roskam Baking (of Rothbury Farms). This plant is located on 44th Street in Grand Rapids. Vice President Oakley worked on the campaign and credits International Representative Jimmy Condran and Local 70 Business Agent/Financial Secretary Orin Holder with the organizing effort, which resulted in recognition. We welcome our new members from Roskam Baking into our Union!...
Region Five International Vice President Sean Kelly reports the successful ending to an organizing campaign at Kohl & Frisch Limited, a pharmaceutical distributor in Moncton, New Brunswick. The New Brunswick Labour Board (NBLB) had to decide the outcome of the election after the employer challenged one of the ballots. The NBLB ruled in favor of the union, giving the win to BCTGM Local 406 ( Moncton, NB). Vice President Kelly credits the efforts of Local 406...
BCTGM Local 280 ( Evansville, Ind.) Business Agent and Financial Secretary Dennis Howard reports that the organizing election at the ADM flour mill in Mt. Vernon, Indiana to represent the truck drivers bargaining unit was won by the Local Union. These drivers deliver flour to all of our Union bakeries. The mill is represented by BCTGM Local 315G (Mt. Vernon, Ind.)....
Region Three Vice President Jeanne Graham reports an organizing victory at Simmons Foods, a poultry feed processing mill in Fairland, Oklahoma. The group that was organized includes production workers and transport drivers. What made this campaign interesting was that Local 16G ( Kansas City, Missouri) and Local 51G (Carthage, Missouri) pooled their resources and jointly worked on the organizing effort. Graham credits Local 16G Business Agent & Financial Secretary Roger Catron and Local 51G President Tony Pugh....
The demographics of the workplace are changing rapidly in North America and the BCTGM must adapt quicker than employers to be successful in organizing. A recent organizing campaign at the captive bakery at the Fiesta Mart grocery chain in Houston, Texas, is a case in point. The bargaining unit of 131 bakers consists primarily of immigrant workers from El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico. According to the campaign's lead organizer, International Representative/ Organizer Cesar Calderon, the main...
Workers employed at Richmond Baking of Oregon voted overwhelmingly to join BCTGM Local 114 (Portland, Ore.).ย The McMinnville, Ore. facility is one of three baking plants operated by Richmond Baking Company--the flagship plant is located in Richmond, Ind. and the East Coast operations are based in Alma, Ga. (BCTGM Local 372B represents the Indiana workers.) ย The bakery, built in 2001, produces organic cookies and crackers, cracker meal and batter mixes for both the domestic and...
The New York City area is renowned for pastries, cakes, biscuits, cookies, breads and other baked goods made by unionized BCTGM Master Journeymen Bakers. The ranks of these talented union bakers just grew as BCTGM Local 3 ( Long Island City, NY) has organized three new bakeries. BCTGM Vice President Art Montminy reports the newly organized bakeries are Gertel Uptown Bake Shop located in New York City, Reisman Wholesale Bakery located in Brooklyn and Zomick's...
This year's AFL-CIO Union Industry Show will be in Cleveland, Ohio on May 5 th, 6 th and 7 th at the Cleveland I-X Center. The Cleveland area is home of many BCTGM union retail bakers, who are notorious for their craft baking. These craft baking skills will be demonstrated at the show! ย BCTGM Local 19 ( Cleveland, OH) remains committed to organizing non-union craft baking shops so those bakers can begin to enjoy the benefits...
International Vice President Robert Oakley reports the successful conclusion to an organizing campaign at the Kraft-Nabisco warehouse in Richmond, Va. and the depot in Chesapeake, Va. The campaign was conducted by Local 358 ( Richmond, VA) and the International Union. ย The campaign focused on the driver sales employees. Oakley notes that Local 358 has made a concentrated effort to focus more time and effort in assisting non-union workers and their families, thereby growing their local union. The campaign,...
What do two bakeries--one in Hayward, California and the other in Oakland, California--have in common? ย They both recently became BCTGM union shops! International Vice President Randy Roark reports the successful conclusion to the two organizing campaigns at Dobake Bakeries Inc. production facilities. The organizing campaigns were run by the International Union and BCTGMย Local 125 (Oakland, Calif.). Dobake was founded in 1989 as a large wholesale baking company to service San Francisco Bay area restaurants and other foodservice...
International Vice President Art Montminy reports thatย BCTGM Local 50 ( New York, N.Y.) has successfully concluded an organizing campaign at Penske Transportation in Hooksett, New Hampshire and Franklin, Massachusetts. The workers at Penske distribute Friehoffer Baking Company products throughout the New England region. Montminy credits Local 50 President Joyce Alston and Business Agent Joe Svingala with the organizing win. Congratulations to Local 50 as we welcome these new bakery workers into our BCTGM family! ...
Webster's Dictionary defines the word tenacity as "a steadfast adherence to a purpose or course of action." If the BCTGM could define the work involved with tenacity, they might simply site the organizing effort of the International andย Local 125 (Oakland, Calif.) at Grace Baking Companyย (Canada Bread). After losing the first organizing campaign by 25 votes in 2004, one would think the organizers would become discouraged. However that did not prove to be the case, as they...
BCTGMย Local 480 ( Ste-Marie, Quebec) has successfully organized Transport & Entrepot Ideal located in the province of Quebec according to International Vice President Sean Kelly. Transport & Entrepot Ideal is the transportation contractor for BCTGM-represented companies like Rothman's Tobacco, Japan Tobacco/MacDonald Tobacco and Smuckers. Vice President Kelly credits International Representative Steeve Bรฉgin and the Officers of Local 480 with this organizing victory. International Secretary-Treasurer & Director of Organization David B. Durkee stated, "This is a fine example of...