Twin Cities Business magazine examines the lockout of 1,300 BCTGM members at American Crystal Sugar and the fate of the Farm Bill. "Despite escalating costs for all concerned, American Crystal Sugar is operating without 1,300 unionized factory workers locked out six months ago.ย Upping the ante, the union threatens to pull support for the Farm Bill, which in turn could hurt the entire sugar industry." Click here to read/print the entire article....
By Lorraine McCarthy PHILADELPHIAโFederal regulators have proposed penalties totaling $283,000 against the operator of a Hershey Co. facility in Pennsylvania that employed foreign students to repackage candy, after an inspection prompted by student complaints revealed alleged workplace safety and health violations, the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Feb. 21. OSHA cited Exel Inc., an Ohio-based logistics contractor, for nine workplace safety and health violations at the Eastern Distribution Center III in Palmyra, Pa., a...
Supporters Deliver Petition Signed by Tens of Thousands to Crystal Sugar Headquarters Fargo, NDโHundreds of union members, their families, and supporters rallied in Moorhead, MN, today to protest the lockout of some 1,300 workers by American Crystal Sugar Company (ACS). After the rally, a delegation of labor and community leaders delivered a petition signed by more than 33,000 people to the companyโs headquarters. The petition calls on CEO David Berg to end the lockout and resume...
Locked out BCTGM members from American Crystal Sugar are taking their message on the road, joining locked out USW workers from Ohio-based Cooper Tire and Rubber in โFrom Fargo to Findlay: A Journey for Justice.โย The six-day, six-state solidarity tour willย focus attention on the two examples of the recent wave of greed-motivated corporate attacks on workers and their unions. Together, four BCTGM members from Crystal Sugar and four USW workers from Cooper Tire will travel over...
On February 16th, IUF General Secretary Ron Oswald sent a letter to American Crystal CEO Dave Berg, once again urging him to end the lockout and return to the negotiating table.ย Oswaldย indicated that the IUF's global sugar coodinator reported on the situation at a recent world conference of their agricultural works unions. "Delegates were shocked in general to hear about the lockout you are imposing, but they were horrified to hear that at a shareholders meeting on...
OSHA has cited Zaloudek Grain Co. with four serious safety violations following an incident involving two 17-year-olds in August 2011. Both suffered leg amputations when they became caught in an inadequately guarded screw auger while cleaning out a grain flat storage structure at the company's facility in Kremlin. OSHA investigators found serious violations including failures to affix or secure the machine guard over the moving screw auger, provide training for workers assigned to enter grain...
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has approved new union representation rules to ensure workers can freely exercise one basic right we hold dear in this countryโthe right to vote. The new rules make union representation elections fairer by simplifying procedures, deferring litigation and setting shorter deadlines for hearings and filings. Currently when workers petition the NLRB for an election, it can take months and even years before they can cast a vote. Companies often use...
On January 18, the first hearing concerning the bankruptcy of Hostess Brands was held in New York, N.Y. before a federal bankruptcy judge. The purpose of the court proceedings was to name members to the Creditors Committee. Bob Bergin, Executive Director of the Bakery and Confectionery Union and Industry International Health & Pension Funds, was placed on the Committee. The Creditors Committee also includes representatives for the Teamsters and other union pension funds, as well as...
AFL-CIO - The national Republican party has selected Indiana Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels to respond to President Obamaโs State of the Union address next weekโsending a clear signal the party is making attacks on working people a top priority in the 2012 elections. Daniels is a key backer of right to work for less (RTW) legislation which state Republican lawmakers, in a stunning display of arrogance,ย have repeatedly tried to ram through, whileย thumbing their noses at...
Wisconsin working people hit one right out of Miller Park: Moments ago, they submitted 1 million signatures supporting a recall election of Gov. Scott Walker (R), exceeding the total number of signatures required by 460,000. Walker last year pushed to abolish the rights of public employees to collectively bargain for a middle class life. Walkerโs policies are killing 18,000 jobs a year in Wisconsin, according to a recent report. Union members and allies also turned in...
On Wednesday, January 11, Hostess Brands filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time since 2004.ย The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) represents more than 5,000 workers at Hostess Brands. The BCTGM International Unionโs legal and financial team, under the direction of International President Frank Hurt, has been working with Hostess for months to identify an amenable resolution that would address the companyโs financial difficulties.ย Throughout this process, the company has...
AFL-CIO - The Republican-controlled Indiana House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee, muzzled Democrats and in a five-minute โcharadeโ of a hearing this morning passed a so-called right to work bill by an 8-5 vote. Not only were Democrats barred from offering any amendments, no discussion of the bill was allowed and immediately after the vote, the hearing was adjourned. Rep. John Bartlett (D) told reporters that heโd โnever seen a charade like this in my life.โ Said...
President Obama utilized recess appointments to name three new members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the White House announced. Since January 1, the board has just two members and cannot carry out most business. Republican Senate leaders have said they will block any NLRB nominations in a move most regard as an attempt to shut down the NLRB. That is part of an overall strategy that has bottled up hundreds of Obama administration nominations....
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has approved new union representation rules to ensure workers can freely exercise one basic right we hold dear in this country โ the right to vote. The new rules make union representation elections fairer by simplifying procedures, deferring litigation and setting shorter deadlines for hearings and filings. Currently when workers petition the NLRB for an election, it can take months and even years before they can cast a vote. Companies...
BCTGM International Executive Vice President Joseph Thibodeau has retired, ending his 48 year career with the union. โJoe personifies what a true labor leader is,โ notes BCTGM International President Frank Hurt. โHe remains one of the most dedicated and giving union leaders this organization has ever had. He has spent his life working hard to make sure American workers have the benefit of a fair day's wage, a healthy workplace and the dignity that comes with...