BCTGM Local 342 (Bloomington, Ill.) knows what it means to be UNION through and through. In addition to day-to-day service and representation of the membership, the Local Union's leaders have been...
Most people believe the sugar they use and consume every day comes from sugarcane, but in the United States 60% of it is Union-made from sugar beets in the cooler climates to the north. BCTGM members make nearly all of the U.S.-made sugar from sugar beets. BCTGM Intl. Pres. Anthony Shelton tours the Twin Falls, Idaho Amalgamated Sugar Co. facility with Asst. Plant Mgr. Jorge DeVarona. โThis time of year our farmers are planting sugar beet seeds...
โAs a lifelong Union activist myself, I have found much fulfillment in retelling the stories of social justice activism through my art,โ says retired AFSCME Council 31 Local 3506 Member and Artist Activist Stephanie Weiner. โA lot of my art is about Union organizing in the Southwestern U.S., especially New Mexico.โ Weiner first learned of BCTGM Local 351โs (Albuquerque, N.M.) 2018 โUnion T-Shirt Dayโ from watching archived Union interviews at the University of New Mexico. โAndrewโs interview...
From a single, small confectionery in 1939, Schnuckโs Markets, Inc. has grown into a leading regional supermarket chain with 115 stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. BCTGM Local 4 (St. Louis, Mo.) members at Schnuckโs Market Bakery in St. Louis are behind the cakes and other sweet goods that get shipped to the chainโs retail grocery stores for sale. โOur members not only bake the cakes in this facility, they elaborately decorate them,โ says Midwest Region...
20 members of BCTGM Local 3G (Battle Creek, Mich.) have initiated an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike against Knappen Milling Co. in Augusta, Mich. The workers, who make Knappen Milling Baking Flour, are fighting against low wages, safety concerns, and for a Union security clause to be written back into their contract following the repeal of a decade-long Right-to-Work law in their state. โOur wage increases have consistently lagged behind industry standards, and the percentage increases are...
Members of BCTGM Local 366G (Oklahoma City, Okla.) have overwhelmingly ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Nestle Purina in Oklahoma City. The four-year agreement features a $1.30 wage increase each year, for a total of $5.20 over the term of the contract. The bargaining committee also secured an additional paid holiday (Juneteenth), plus two additional personal floating holidays, for a total of four. In addition, the new contract increases the tool allowance and bereavement leave for...
Members of BCTGM Local 264 (Toronto) employed at two Concord Confections locations in Vaughan, Ont. have voted to overwhelmingly accept an historic 5-year contract. Negotiations were led by Canadian Region International Vice President Ron Piercey and included Negotiating Committee members International Representative Karl Walker, Local 264 Business Agent Bill Hegedus and Members Muniruddin Ahmed, Quan Hoc Duong, Bing Zhong Lin, Earl Lucier, Alex Melkonian, Navaneethan Navaratnam, Eslyn Smith and Robert Ziniuk. For the first time ever, the...
Three terminated BCTGM Local 85 (Fresno, Calif.) members have returned to work following a Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) hearing related to a grievance they filed late last year. Mathew Galicia, Hector Lopez and Luis Herrera are import sales delivery drivers at the Bimbo Sales Center in Fresno, Calif. Their division makes import snacks such as Takis and Marinela Pastries. The Local 85 members were fired last October for logbook procedures they had been practicingโand...
The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of solidarity is โunity (as of a group or class) that produces or is based on community of interests, objectives, and standards.โ With the BCTGM, this is always the case, and our Local Unions exemplify the true meaning of solidarity through their actions. Jerryโs Broadway Bakery Local 22 (Minneapolis) Shop Steward Matt Hamada reached out to Local 22 President Wally Borgan with news that members led a bakery-wide effort to collect money...
Approximately 50 allies from Labor and other advocacy organizations rallied in New York City yesterday in support of BCTGM Local 390G workers on strike against International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) in Memphis, Tenn. The rally called attention to the strike, now in its fifth month, and urged the companyโs negotiators to return to the bargaining table. Among the crowd, which gathered in front of the companyโs headquarters at 521 W. 57th Street, were BCTGM International Secretary-Treasurer...
BCTGM Local 390G members have been on strike against International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) in Memphis, Tenn. since June 4.Workers had been working under the terms of their expired contract for more than a year and the company refused to negotiate a fair contract that protects the workersโ health insurance and overtime.Click here to tell IFF CEO and Executives to get back to the negotiating table! Striking members of Local 390G remain steadfast and strong...
On June 4, after working under the terms of their expired contract for more than a year while the company refused to negotiate a fair contract protecting their health insurance and overtime, Local 390G members went on strike against International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF) in Memphis, Tenn. The Local 390G members produce soy protein products which are used by companies including Nestle, Nestle Purina and Abbott Nutrition to manufacture baby formula, pet foods, soy-based nutritional...
With more than 130 years of ongoing milling operations, the Toledo Flour Mill in Toledo, Ohio is the largest soft wheat flour milling operation in North America and one of the largest of its kind in the world. The Toledo Flour Mill began operations in 1892 and became part of the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) in 1926. Workers at the Toledo Mill have been proudly represented by BCTGM Local 58G for more than 50 years. Flour...
A toy drive led by members of Local 84 and Hostess Brands brought holiday joy to children in Columbus, Georgia. Hostess Brands was eager join with the Union after seeing the success and happiness brought to the community following the back-to-school backpack giveaway at the Mildred Library. BCTGM International Representative Darrell Copeland worked closely with Allen Elementary School in Columbus to identify students who would needed the most support this holiday season. More than 30...
At Voortmanโs Bakery in Burlington, Ontario, BCTGM Local 264 (Toronto, Ontario) members warmly welcomed a small group of Ukrainian refugees who came to work at the bakery. Over the months since the war in Ukraine began, Canada has welcomed more than 82,000 Ukrainians fleeing their country, allowing them to make a fresh start in Canada.In the bakery, word spread quickly about the most pressing needs of the newly arrived Ukrainian workers. From clothing, bedding, furniture and...