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Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
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Legislation Secures Retiree Pension Benefits BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton issued the following statement following the enactment of the American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021: โ€œThe BCTGM commends President Biden and the Democrats in Congress for making the American Rescue Plan Act the law of the land. The American Rescue Plan Act is a bold policy that takes strong action to tackle the enormous ongoing economic problems challenging working families because of the COVID-19 pandemic.โ€œNo...

11 March, 2021

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act โ€” PRO Act (H.R. 842) passed the House last night with a 225-206 vote, with five Republicans joining Democrats in favor of it. President Biden strongly backs the legislation and released a powerful statement this week stating, "Nearly 60 million Americans would join a union if they get a chance, but too many employers and states prevent them from doing so through anti-union attacks. They know that without...

10 March, 2021

Yesterday, the BCTGM hosted a live political discussion for member leaders and organizers on Facebook. The panel consisted of staff and activists from both the BCTGM and AFL-CIO (left to right above): Michelle Ellis (moderating),ย Digital Media Dir., BCTGMHarry Kaiser,ย Political Dir./Asst. to President Anthony Shelton, BCTGMRichard Womack,ย Asst. to Pres. Richard Trumka, AFL-CIOJohn Price,ย Organizing Dir., BCTGMDavid Driscoll-Knight,ย East Region Field Dir., AFL-CIOMargaret McLaughlin,ย International Rep./Organizer, BCTGMJared Cummings,ย Rank & File Organizer, BCTGM Local 53 Exec. Board Member In the preview below, Harry...

10 March, 2021

A week after releasing the most pro-union statement from a president in decades, President Biden issued a statement of administration policy that strongly supports the passage of the PRO Act. The administration recognizes that the right to organize a union is a fundamental building block of the American Dream. Passing the PRO Act would strengthen and expand working peopleโ€™s ability to form and join unions. In a press release, the administration noted that unions give...

09 March, 2021

"America was not built by Wall Street. It was built by the middle class, and unions built the middle class. Unions put power in the hands of workers. They give workers a stronger voice to increase wages, improve the quality of jobs and protect job security, protect against racial and all other forms of discrimination and sexual harassment, and protect workersโ€™ health, safety, and benefits in the workplace. Unions lift up workers, both union and...

08 March, 2021

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) is also a top priority to the Union Veterans Council.  Veterans and military families have a long history of joining unions, and like the BCTGM, the Union Veterans Council believes that a union will give a veteran a better life. The PRO Act will address key issues that are keeping veteran workers from achieving financial stability. The men and women who served our country deserve stable and...

03 March, 2021

On February 26, the House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief proposal that includes multiemployer pension relief and major components of the AFL-CIO's Americaโ€™s Five Economic Essentials. Call Your Senators The package, according to The New York Times, "includes more than $400 billion to combat the pandemic directly, including money to accelerate vaccine deployment and to safely reopen most schools within 100 days. An additional $350 billion would...

02 March, 2021

The BCTGM applauds the House passage of the American Rescue Plan, which includes multiemployer pension relief that would protect the hard-earned retirements of more than million American retirees. The BCTGM is part of the AFL-CIO Retirement Security Working Group, which has worked tirelessly over the last several years fighting for multiemployer pension relief legislation. The following statement was issued following passage of the American Rescue Plan by the House on February 27: After a lifetime of hard...

01 March, 2021

The United States has reached a tragic milestone in our fight against COVID-19: More than half a million Americans have succumbed to the coronavirus. Many of those lost were our union brothers, sisters and friends. The labor movement mourns their passing, and in their memory, we will fight every day to overcome this pandemic. Please visit this special AFL-CIO In Memoriam site. ...

23 February, 2021

Action begins with a desire. Heartfelt compassion leads to action. Samantha Martin learned at a young age the importance of having a voice and being an advocate for others. Her father, Timothy Martin, is a Local 317T member, now retired from the maintenance department of ITG Brands in Greensboro, N.C.โ€œMy dad worked for Lorillard and he was a union member for as long as I can remember,โ€ recalls Martin. โ€œHe always talked highly about the importance...

22 February, 2021

Protect workers. Decrease risk. Increase safety. Check out OSHA's guidance on implementing a COVID-19 Prevention Program in the workplace. OSHA has answers to questions about reporting work-related exposures to COVID-19. https://twitter.com/i/status/1357333085352849410 ...

22 February, 2021

The BCTGM welcomes the message released by leading scientific experts urging stronger protections for workers and the public due to proof that inhalation is the major route of transmission causing COVID-19 infections and outbreaks. Leading scientific and medical experts are calling upon the Biden Administration to take immediate action to address inhalation exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a cornerstone of the COVID-19 pandemic response. In a letter to the Biden administrationsโ€™ top officials heading the...

19 February, 2021

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: โ€œAmerica can only build back better if unions are doing the building.โ€ Today, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler and leaders from construction and manufacturing unions met with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to discuss actions the administration can take to create good-paying union jobs, highlighting the need to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, COVID-19 relief and an infrastructure package. After the meeting,...

17 February, 2021

The February 4 announcement by Mondelฤ“z International that it would close bakeries in Fairlawn, N.J. (Local 719) and Atlanta, Ga. (Local 42) has been met with widespread criticism and outrage. BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton released this statement noting, "The BCTGM strongly believes that BCTGM unionized employees are the most productive and efficient workers in North America. Mondelฤ“z is taking a very short-sighted action in an effort to generate corporate profits while devastating communities and...

10 February, 2021