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Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
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The following is an important message to the BCTGM membership from International President Anthony Shelton: Our union is in the midst of some of the most turbulent times in our 134-year history. The COVID-19 pandemic has touched every corner of our lives, from our health and livelihoods to our heart and soul. As a husband, father and grandfather, I understand the uncertainty you are feeling right now. This crisis is showing us something we have known all...

06 July, 2020

On May 15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act (H.R. 6800), powerful legislation to address the economic emergency facing the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The HEROES Act includes an effective, comprehensive solution to the multiemployer pension funding crisis that would provide long-term security for pension funds, including the B&C Fund, and for beneficiaries. The BCTGM was actively involved in labor’s effort to get this proposal included in the legislation. The Republican-controlled U.S....

02 July, 2020

The Philadelphia City Council has unanimously approved a bill that will make it illegal for employers to fire, discipline, or otherwise retaliate against workers who speak up about working in unsafe conditions related to the coronavirus. The measure is expected to be signed by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, making Philadelphia the first big city in the country to give workers stronger legal protection against this kind of retaliation. It’s a victory for the Philadelphia labor community. The...

29 June, 2020

More than 300 families in Hartwell, Ga. are able to feed their families union-made goods thanks to a Local 42 (Atlanta) led COVID-19 community relief effort. Together with Impact Church of Hartwell, the local union wanted to reach members of the community who have been negatively affected by the pandemic. Local 42 represents the maintenance workers at the nearby Nestlé Purina plant. Several workers from the plant volunteered to help distribute the food to hundreds...

22 June, 2020

Washington D.C. June 20 – On June 17, the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO appointed BCTGM International President Anthony L. Shelton as a Vice President on the Council. In accepting the appointment, Shelton thanked AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and members of the Executive Council for the “tremendous honor”. “My father was a 62-year member of the BCTGM and served as a member of our International’s General Executive Board. I wish he were alive to share this honor...

18 June, 2020

On April 16, 2020, the BCTGM International General Executive Board voted to rename the BCTGM International Scholarship Program to the David B. Durkee Memorial Scholarship Program. The program is a tribute to the legacy of President Durkee and the high value he placed on learning and education. The BCTGM International Union has been awarding scholarships to union families since 1962. These five exceptional BCTGM children were chosen from a total of 59...

12 June, 2020

Together with the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO, the UAW, Ford and BIMBO Bakeries, Local 326 helped deliver thousands of pounds of BCTGM-made products to the Community Action Agency of Monroe County and numerous area food banks. The union goods will be distributed to working families hardest hit by the financial crisis caused by the pandemic. According to Local 326 President and Business Agent Nikee Craine-Kanitz, the multi-day event included gathering Sara Lee/BIMBO Bakeries USA products from...

11 June, 2020

Nearly 150 union families in San Antonio, Texas received boxes overflowing with Nabisco/Mondelez products and BIMBO Bakeries USA bread made by BCTGM Local 111 members at the San Antonio bakery. For the San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area, the Texas Workforce Commission listed more than 93,000 jobs lost. Combined, the area around the two cities reached an unemployment rate of 13.7% Across the state, 1,298,900 jobs have been lost. The BCTGM was among...

11 June, 2020

BCTGM Local 85 wanted to find a meaningful way to support the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services and make sure families and individuals in their community received the food they need during the pandemic. Partnering with the Bimbo Bakeries USA Sacramento Plant & Northern Imports Western Division, Local 85 members loaded a total of 3,592 pounds of BCTGM-made products into two BIMBO trucks and delivered it to the food bank. The Sacramento Food Bank &...

11 June, 2020

(Kensington, MD, June 10) - The General Executive Board of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) voted unanimously to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States. “We believe that a Biden presidency offers the strongest opportunity to advance the cause of economic, social and racial justice in the United States and heal our nation,” said BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton. “We believe that a Biden presidency offers...

10 June, 2020

BCTGM Local 25 (Chattanooga, Tenn.) officers presented a $2,500 check from the BCTGM International Union’s Disaster Relief Fund to long-time Local 25 member and ADM Chattanooga employee, Jose Cuadrado. Cuadrado suffered extensive damages to his home and vehicles in the recent outbreak of tornadoes in Chattanooga. "Thank you. This means so much to me and my family,” said Cuadrado. Local 25 Business Agent/Financial Secretary Jeff Webb said, "It is such a pleasure to help out a...

09 June, 2020

The cloth face mask has become a chance to make a fashion statement. So why not make a union fashion statement? That is exactly what BCTGM Local 19 (Cleveland) set out to do in designing its own Bakers' Local 19 cloth face mask to give out to union members. The local has ordered thousands of the personalized masks and are sharing the face coverings with fellow union members. Local 58G (Toledo) members at Hometown Foods...

03 June, 2020

Statement by BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton on Justice for George Floyd: We condemn the shocking and horrible death of George Floyd. Racism causes pain to people of color every day in America. As we have throughout history, the BCTGM will continue to stand together against racism, inequality and injustice. The BCTGM categorically rejects violence and the destruction of property. We stand in unity with the AFL-CIO and the incredibly poignant statement made this morning by...

01 June, 2020

The officers and members of BCTGM Local 253 who work at the Kellogg's plant in Cincinnati, believe that every worker deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. So when they learned that the Cincinnati AFL-CIO was collecting donations to help the undocumented workers at the Willows Education and Solidarity Center, they wanted to help. Local 253 President/Business Agent David Puckett and Financial Secretary/Assistant Business Agent Mike Shoemaker asked Kellogg to provide them with enough union-made...

29 May, 2020

The coronavirus is everywhere in America, and so is hunger. Food banks all across America are struggling to meet surging demand from those hit hard by mass layoffs caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In Michigan, the demand for food assistance is rising at an extraordinary rate, just as the state’s food banks are being struck by shortages. To help combat the growing problem within their region, BCTGM Local Unions representing Kellogg’s workers in Michigan led an effort...

29 May, 2020