Below are photos of Locked-Out American Crystal Sugar workers handing out boycott information in the Red River Valley last week. Read more about their struggle here, and click here to sign the pledge to boycott American Crystal Sugar! ...
In a desperate attempt to break the solidarity and resolve of striking BCTGM members across the country, Hostess Brands is falsely claiming that its decision to close three of its bakeries -- St. Louis, Cincinnati and Seattle -- is the result of the nationwide strike against the company by BCTGM members. In fact, according to the company’s 1113 filing with the bankruptcy court earlier this year as well as its last/best/final and non-negotiable proposal to its...
On Friday, November 9 BCTGM members employed by Hostess Brands across the country began to strike. These workers, many of whom have worked at Hostess and its predecessor companies for decades, are on strike in response to the company’s unilateral imposition of a horrendous contract that was rejected by 92 percent of BCTGM Hostess workers in September. NEW:November 16 Fact Sheet NEW: November 16 press statement from BCTGM International President Frank Hurt November 15 press statement from BCTGM...
“The re-election of Barack Obama represents a major victory for this nation and working people. “President Obama has spent the past four years fighting to level the playing field for the American middle class. He has stood with working people and the labor movement time and time again on workers’ rights, workplace health and safety, job creation and economic growth. Today, that fight continues. Now it is time to stand with our President, united, to pursue...
Here are SIX SIMPLE STEPS you can take on Election Day to protect your voting rights. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE LOCATION of your polling place and your correct precinct. Many have changed, and a vote at the wrong place may not be counted. BRING IDENTIFICATION TO THE POLLS, preferably a government-issued photo ID with your registered address. Check your state’s website NOW to ensure you have the proper ID. Several states have passed strict photo ID...
[caption id="attachment_2463" align="alignleft" width="195" caption="Union Member and co-owner Sergio Flores has been a baker at Dianda's for more than 30 years."][/caption] Union bakers at San Francisco’s famous Dianda’s Italian-American Pastry Co. have been creating some of the city’s most loved cakes and pastries since the Mission district bakery opened its doors in 1962. What is the secret to their long success? Happy workers, time-honored recipes and loyal customers. This well-loved neighborhood bakery is renowned for its immense...
With the endorsement of the AFL-CIO, working families throughout the country have launched a nationwide consumer boycott of American Crystal Sugar products in response to Crystal’s Sugar 14-month lockout of 1,300 BCTGM members. The AFL-CIO noted that the boycott will be called off if the management of Crystal Sugar, which has denied its workers the opportunity to do their jobs, returns to the bargaining table in good faith and concludes a contract. This consumer boycott is part of the...
Please take a moment to watch this moving video of children of locked out workers that illustrates the unnecessary human cost of corporate greed. American Crystal Sugar and its increasingly well-paid CEO, Dave Berg thought record profits and skyrocketing CEO pay were not enough, and instead of expressing gratitude to their workers have instead denied them the chance to work to make a living. This video, shot at East Grand Forks, MN at the American Legion on...
by Tulla Connell It’s hard to miss a burly firefighter in a bright pink T-shirt. And for tens of thousands of Fire Fighters (IAFF) union members across the country, that’s exactly the point. When the public sees them in pink tees, they are reminded that breast cancer is a deadly disease requiring regular exams and mammograms. And they are urged to help women who can’t afford regular check-ups. Although firefighters put their lives on the line every...
(This is a cross-post from the AFL-CIO NOW Blog written by Mike Hall) If you were building a bridge, would you hire a work crew with a few hours of metal shop on their resumes, or trained and certified Iron Workers? Would you go into surgery with someone who only has a CPR certificate, or a real doctor with a medical degree? If you’re NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, or one of the 32 NFL team owners, you'd go...
AFL-CIO - Just who was Mitt Romney referring to in his secretly recorded comments at a Boca Raton, Fla., fundraiser as people who don’t “take personal responsibility and care for themselves”? 61 percent of them work but don’t earn enough to owe income tax. 17 percent are students (who will pay plenty of taxes once they’re out of school), military families, people with disabilities and people who have lost their jobs—including victims of outsourcers like, well, Mitt Romney. 22...
BCTGM members employed by Hostess Brands rejected the company’s Last/Best/Final proposal by 92 percent. Union members in every region of the country and every segment of the company’s operations overwhelmingly opposed the proposal. In many locations, the vote to reject the proposal was unanimous. In announcing the vote results, BCTGM International President Frank Hurt stated, “Throughout this entire bankruptcy process, I have been crystal clear with Hostess management that our members will determine the outcome. On August...
(Tula Connell published this Blog post today on AFL-CIO-NOW) Despite waking up with the flu one morning this week, Bonnie Holter headed out to take part in a 6 a.m. vigil outside the home of a member of the American Crystal Sugar Co. board of directors in East Grand Forks, Minn. Tired and ready to head back to bed after returning home, she still exuded the resolve that, despite having retired from American Crystal Sugar this...
AFL-CIO - The vast majority of America's workers have largely been shut out of the nation’s economic growth over the past three decades, reports the 12th edition of The State of Working America from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Released today and available online, the report finds that the typical American family has added hundreds of extra hours of work each year, while also earning better education credentials, yet is still struggling to keep up. The State...