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Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
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BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton traveled to the BCTGM Local 464 (Hershey, Pa.) Union Hall todayโ€”along with members and retirees of BCTGM Local 6 (Philadelphia, Pa.)โ€”for an historic update on pension reform from White House Senior Advisor and American Rescue Plan (ARP) Implementation Coordinator Gene Sperling and U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA). Sperling and Casey informed the members that the promise of pension reform has been fulfilled for 103,000 BCTGM workers and retirees. Without the historic...

21 June, 2024

Members of BCTGM Local 358 (Richmond, Va.) were pleasantly surprised to host BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton during a recent service visit from their Union reps. โ€œI was heading down there for a plant tour with Local 358 Financial Secretary/Business Agent Darlene Carpenter and found out President Shelton would be in the area,โ€ explains East-Central Region International Representative Lisa Gregory. โ€œWe coordinated to have him join us and the plant manager was really accommodating in helping...

19 June, 2024

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...

11 June, 2024

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 practicingโ€”and...

07 June, 2024

Due to a relentless anti-union campaign waged by Hearthside Foods, 600 workers at the London, Kentucky bakery have lost their Union election. The 304-222 loss coincided with eleven more unfair labor practice (ULP) charges filed on Sunday, May 5th, adding to the nine already documented during the campaign. โ€œThese newest charges are all related to the constant surveillance and intimidation the workers faced. The company issued really outrageous threats of losing their jobsโ€”even deportationโ€”and ย several workers...

09 May, 2024

On Friday April 5, 2024, workers employed at the Hearthside Food Solutions (โ€œHearthsideโ€) bakery in London, Kentucky filed for an election to be represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM).  The bakery in London, which produces baked goods for Kelloggโ€™s, Nabisco and General Mills, employs approximately five hundred people. The BCTGM international Union has also filed federal charges against Hearthside for multiple labor law violations committed during the organizing campaign...

09 April, 2024

The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of solidarity is โ€œunity (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. Jerryโ€™s 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...

12 December, 2023

By: Anthony Shelton, BCTGM International President With the end of the year upon us, it is important to review how our Union responded to the challenges that arose before us. As we evaluate these challenges, it gives us an opportunity to plan effectively for the future. In 2023, the BCTGM once again provided solid proof that we never walk away from a tough fight when it comes to protecting the livelihoods of our members. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa,...

11 December, 2023

Delight your friends and loved ones with holiday treats made by hard-working BCTGM members! Listed here is a small sampling of holiday goodies made by BCTGM members in the U.S. and Canada. Allan Candy Company (Hershey Company) Allan Traditional Candy Canes (Peppermint, Cherry and Mini Peppermint), Allan Holiday Collection Candy Canes (French Vanilla & Gingerbread, Butterscotch & Cappucino, Mini Canes), Allan Fruit Buddies Candy Canes, Allan Chewy Candy Canes. BCTGM Local 350T (Granby, Quebec) Annabelle Candy Company Rocky Road, Abba...

01 December, 2023

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 companyโ€™s negotiators to return to the bargaining table. Among the crowd, which gathered in front of the companyโ€™s headquarters at 521 W. 57th Street, were BCTGM International Secretary-Treasurer...

19 October, 2023

Four BCTGM Local Unions representing 1,200 members at Amalgamated Sugar have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, which includes monumental language that protects and enhances benefits and wages. Contract negotiations began in May and became contentious as the company refused to back off some of their unfair demands. In late July, Union members rejected the company's proposal and voted to authorize a strike if a fair agreement was not reached. The pressure was on the company...

30 August, 2023

After 20 years with the International Union, Harry Kaiser, Executive Assistant to the International President, retired on July 14. He served under three International Union Presidents. Kaiser was hired by International President Frank Hurt in 2003 after serving as a political and legislative consultant to the International Union. After Hurtโ€™s retirement in 2012, Kaiser served as Executive Assistant to International President David Durkee until his death in 2020. He continued to serve as Executive Assistant to...

24 August, 2023

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...

05 July, 2023

BCTGM members have first-hand experience with the power of solidarity. The long days, nights and seasons outside your workplace fighting for a fair contract are made tolerable with the support of a larger community. Visits from other union workers who have stood shoulder to shoulder with striking BCTGM members helped bring strength and labor unity to all of our strikes. Four hundred UAW Local 12 members have been on strike against Clarios in Holland, Ohio since...

14 June, 2023

The National Labor Relations Board found merit in the BCTGM's charges that Aspire Bakeries committed numerous labor law violations during an organizing campaign at the companyโ€™s Ontario, California bakery. As a result, the Labor Board has ordered a new union election for workers at Aspire. Not long after workers at the bakery approached BCTGM Local 37 (Los Angeles) organizers about joining the BCTGM, the company hired a high-priced union busting firm to put a stop to...

12 June, 2023