By Al Brown, The Chicago Times
December 22, 2021
BATTLE CREEK, MI – Striking workers at Kellogg Co’s breakfast cereal mills in the United States voted in favor of a new contract that offers improved terms for transitional staff and across-the-board salary increases, the company said in a press release on Tuesday, putting an end to an 11-week strike.
The five-year settlement settles a standoff between Kellogg and its plant workers in Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, which had caused the business to warn of permanently replacing striking staff.
According to the union, one of the highlights of the new agreement is the absence of a permanent two-tier structure in which lower-tier workers are paid less than longer-tenured staff.
“This deal includes no compromises and achieves advances,” said Anthony Shelton, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union.
Since October 5, around 1,400 workers have been on strike after their contracts expired, as discussions over payment and benefits have stagnated despite a tightening labor market.
The Chicago Times 