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Representing manufacturing, production, maintenance and sanitation workers in the baking, confectionery, tobacco and grain milling industries.
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President Biden promised to lead the most pro-labor administration in history, and with one year in office, he has proven he is true to his word. No union has benefited more than the BCTGM from President Biden’s support for unions and workers’ rights. Joe Biden has proven to be a President of the United States who supports workers’ right to join a union, collectively bargain and, when needed, to strike.  He is a President who...

09 March, 2022

After 232 years, the first Black woman has been nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. Judge Jackson is eminently qualified for this critical lifetime position. Her distinguished legal career includes: Her term on the U.S. District Court in Washington, where she ruled on more than 550 cases;Her tenure as an assistant federal public defender; andHer experience serving as vice chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission. The Senate must confirm her immediately. Click here...

04 March, 2022

Nearly one year after voting to become members of BCTGM Local 149 (Memphis, Tenn.), workers at the Blues City Brewery in Memphis ratified their first union contract on November 11, 2021. The first order of business for the more than 700 workers at the large industrial brewery, according to BCTGM Southern Region Vice President Zack Townsend, was to nominate shop stewards. Once elected, it was vital that the Union hold shop steward training to educate the...

03 March, 2022

BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton Reflects on the Official Theme of the BCTGM's 41st Constitutional Convention Preparations are well underway at the International Union Headquarters and in our local unions for the BCTGM’s 41st Constitutional Convention July 27 – August 2, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Since our last International Union Convention in 2018, the BCTGM and our members have been forced to confront some of the most difficult challenges in our union’s long and proud history; challenges...

03 March, 2022

More than 40 Local 358 (Richmond, Va.) stewards successfully completed a two-day steward training education conference in early February. The training was run by BCTGM International Research & Education Director Matthew Clark with assistance from Local 358 Financial Secretary/Business Agent Darlene Carpenter and President Keith Bragg. The two-day education conference focused on teaching the roles and responsibilities of union stewards by using role playing, small group activities and focusing on plant-specific challenges faced by stewards regularly. The...

03 March, 2022

The BCTGM International assisted Local 218 (Kansas City, Missouri) with a two-day steward training in Kansas City and Topeka, Kansas. The trainings were led by BCTGM International Research & Education Director Matthew Clark and BCTGM International Representative Jason Davis. The first day of training, held during a blinding snowstorm, included stewards from ADM (Cathage, Missouri), Graincraft (Wichita, Kansas), General Mills (Kansas City) and Bimbo Bakeries USA (Topeka). Two stewards participated via ZOOM video conferencing. The class included sessions...

03 March, 2022

BCTGM Local 37 (Los Angeles, Calif.) members on strike against Rich Products-owned Jon Donaire Desserts plant in Sante Fe, Calif. voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement, bringing an end to the strike that began on November 3, 2021. Reflecting on the vote to ratify the new agreement, BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton stated: β€œThis has been a long and difficult fight for our striking members and their families. With each new day on...

23 February, 2022

The 41st Constitutional Convention of the BCTGM International Union will be held July 27-August 2, 2022 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The theme of the 2022 Convention is, "OUR UNION. OUR FUTURE. OUR FIGHT." Delegates to the Convention, per Article III, Section 5 of the Constitution, must have been a continuously good-standing, dues-paying member of the International Union and Local Union the delegate represents for at least two (2) continuous years...

01 February, 2022

Twenty five members of the U.S. House of Representatives followed the lead of the U.S. Senate in writing to Rich Products Chairman Robert E. Rich Jr., urging the company to end the strike by Local 37 members at the Jon Donaire Desserts plant in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. by engaging in good faith bargaining. "Most of these workers are Latina women who are on strike – many with their children. We are concerned about the...

24 January, 2022

An overwhelming atmosphere of solidarity met BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton and International Secretary-Treasurer David Woods as they walked the picket line outside the Jon Donaire Desserts plant in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. with striking members of Local 37.Workers at the plant, who make and decorate ice cream cakes for food chains including Ralphs, Walmart and Baskin-Robbins, have been on strike fighting for a livable wage and a fair contract since November 3. Jon Donaire...

21 January, 2022

The BCTGM joins with the AFL-CIO in commending President Biden’s Federal Reserve appointments and urge their speedy confirmation by the U.S. Senate.Sarah Bloom Raskin, a former member of the Board of Governors, is an experienced financial regulator with a strong track record of putting the public interest first when dealing with the power of the financial system. She is eminently suited to the critical role of vice chair of supervision. Professors Lisa Cook, who has...

14 January, 2022

In a scathing letter to Rich Products Chairman Robert E. Rich Jr., seven United States Senators condemned the company's refusal to negotiate a fair contract for the 100 BCTGM Local 37 members at Jon Donaire Desserts plant in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. Workers at the factory have been on strike since November 3, 2021. "Let’s be clear. Rich Products is not a poor company. It is not going broke. Last year, your company made over...

12 January, 2022

The below article about Local 37 members on strike against Jon Donaire (Rich Products) in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. was written by Caitlin HernΓ‘ndez and published on LA List on Jan 5. Workers at Jon Donaire Desserts in Santa Fe Springs have been on strike to get a fair contract for nine weeks, missing vital paychecks during the peak of the holiday season. While parent company Rich’s hasn’t returned to the bargaining table since union members voted...

07 January, 2022

Members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) who work at Kellogg’s ready to eat cereal plants in Battle Creek, Mich., Lancaster, Pa., Omaha, Neb. and Memphis, Tenn. have voted to accept the recommended collective bargaining agreement. Approval of the contract ends the BCTGM’s strike against Kellogg’s, which began on October 5, 2021. In commenting on the ratification, BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton stated, β€œOur striking members at Kellogg’s ready-to-eat cereal...

21 December, 2021

On December 17, members of the BCTGM Local 37 (Los Angeles, Calif.) on strike against Rich Products-owned Jon Donaire Desserts plant in Sante Fe, Calif. voted overwhelmingly to reject the company’s proposal on a new collective bargaining agreement. The strike, which began on November 3, 2021, continues.Reflecting on the vote, BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton stated, β€œThe members have spoken. The strike continues. The International Union will continue to provide full support to our striking...

18 December, 2021