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Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
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In Memphis 50 years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while standing in solidarity with working people. King stood beside striking sanitation workers who proudly proclaimed, “I Am a Man.” This week, the BCTGM was among thousands who marched through the streets of Memphis in solidarity with the thousands who marched for justice and dignity 50 years ago. Pictured here is the proud BCTGM delegation in front of AFSCME Local 1733, on Beale Street which was renamed...

04 April, 2018

"Activist, unionist, educator and hell raiser, we give thanks for the spirit, intelligence and passion Carolyn brought to everything she put her hand to. Like our foremothers Mother Jones, Olga Madar and Sojourner Truth, Her spirit marches on!” - Elise Bryant, President, Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW) Carolyn Jacobson, longtime director of the International Union's Public Relations Department and a lifelong activist, died on March 23 after a courageous, two-year fight with cancer. She was 67...

27 March, 2018

As a result of the federal tax cut, Disney promised that its employees would get $1,000 bonuses. Disney offered the bonuses to most of its employees with no conditions. But for 41,000 union members in Anaheim, California and Orlando, Florida, Disney is requiring them to agree to the company's contract proposals in order to get the bonus. More than 100 BCTGM Local 83 (Buena Park, Calif.) members are candy production workers at the Disneyland park in...

25 March, 2018

BCTGM Local 22 (Minneapolis) Organizer Edgar Gomez together with communications staff at the Minnesota AFL-CIO worked with a City Pages journalist to tell the story of Franklin Street Bakery workers who have been fighting for the right to join a union for more than two years. The Baker Uprising: Minnesota's king of hunger relief faces mutiny in his bread factory ...

22 March, 2018

There can be no fair and equal workplaces if there is violence. Yet there is still no law at the international level that sets a baseline for taking action to eradicate violence and harassment in the workplace.  According to the International Labour Conference (ILC), gender-based violence remains one of the most common and tolerated human rights abuses.  According to statistics, 35% of women - 818 million women globally - over the age of 15 have experienced...

08 March, 2018

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed legislation Tuesday giving all state employees a 5% pay raise, the direct result of the heroic teacher strike that lasted nearly two weeks and highlighted the plight of low pay and rising health care costs in the Mountain State. American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten called the strength and resolve of the West Virginia teachers "heroic" proving that working people will not back down from attacks on labor. “Make no...

07 March, 2018

Repost from our Brothers and Sisters at the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)- the largest federal employee union representing 700,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas.  The richest 1 % of American households now own 40% of the country's wealth, and they’re fighting tooth and nail to keep it that way. That’s why we see corporate-backed politicians doing everything they can to take away our voice, our rights, our freedom to join in...

05 March, 2018

Throughout the BCTGM International Union’s 132-year history, each generation has fought hard to build a stronger Union upon the solid foundation forged by previous generations. In fact, the International Union has flourished for nearly a century and a half because of our “never give up” attitude and our willingness to “think outside the box” when tackling challenges. Throughout our proud history, we have held strong to our unwavering committment to defending the quality of life...

28 February, 2018

A coalition of 11 Disneyland unions is calling on the Anaheim, Calif. resort to raise its base wage to $20 an hour after a survey of 5,000 workers found many were hard-pressed to pay for food and medical expenses and 11 percent said they experienced homelessness in the past two years. According to a 125-page report “Working for the Mouse,” , federal census and economic data show the average hourly wage for Disneyland resort workers dropped to...

28 February, 2018

An impending U.S. Supreme Court decision threatens the right of public employees to union representation and collective bargaining, and it is a decision that will “hit every public-sector worker across this country,” says Corey Upchurch, a school bus driver for special needs children in Washington D.C. “Just imagine if money is taken off your table, or you’re not able to send your child to college or you not able to retire because you don’t have a...

27 February, 2018

BCTGM Local 6 members were among thousands of workers who rallied in Philadelphia's Thomas Paine Plaza on February 24 ahead of a Supreme Court vote that could profoundly affect the ability of public-sector workers to improve their wages and working conditions. The Philadelphia rally, which included AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, was a part of the national "Workers Day of Action" movement, which included events in 28 cities. Today, February 26th, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral...

26 February, 2018

The BCTGM’s campaign against the outsourcing of North American Nabisco jobs has generated widespread support. From U.S. Congressional leaders, university students, union trade and justice activists to American veterans and consumers, the message carried by Nabisco workers across the nation has resonated loud and clear:  stop the global exploitation of workers that is devastating families and communities. The campaign has grown particularly strong within the faith community, as leaders and activists have rallied behind Nabisco workers,...

22 February, 2018

  In late January, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released data on changes in union membership from 2016 to 2017. It was good news for workers, as the total number of union members grew by 262,000 in 2017. Three-fourths of these gains (198,000) were among workers aged 34 and under, who account for less than 40 percent of total employment. According to a new study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), historically, younger workers have been less likely...

16 February, 2018

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a failure for working people across North America. It kills jobs, lowers ages and diminishes our democracy. For nearly 25 years, NAFTA has put the interests of powerful corporate CEOs ahead of environmental standards, healthy communities and regular working families across the continent. By contrast, a good trade deal would level the playing field for all workers with key provisions to: Eliminate corporate privileges like the Investor-State Dispute Settlement,...

12 February, 2018

Senator Secured Guaranteed Vote on Senate Floor U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has announced the creation of a bipartisan, House and Senate Joint Select Committee tasked with solving the pension crisis threatening more 1.5 million workers and retirees nationwide. The solution the Committee produces will be guaranteed an expedited vote on the Senate floor. Brown secured the creation of the Committee as part of the overall budget compromise announced on Wednesday, February 7. At Brown’s urging, the...

09 February, 2018