WASHINGTON: Kellogg’s workers have agreed to end strikes at US cereal plants that had attracted attention from the White House and other politicians amid a wave of labor actions in the country, the company announced Tuesday.
The strike began October 5 at Kellogg’s cereal plants in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nebraska and Tennessee, with workers objecting to the company’s two-tiered wage structure, among other grievances.
The firm known best for its breakfast cereals drew intense criticism including from President Joe Biden after it threatened to replace striking workers.
But the company said workers voted in favor of the deal reached last week with the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) that covers about 1,400 workers and will see wage increases and improved benefits.
“We are pleased that we have reached an agreement that brings our cereal employees back to work,” Kellogg’s Chairman and CEO Steve Cahillane said in a statement.
“We look forward to their return and continuing to produce our beloved cereal brands for our customers and consumers.”
BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton welcomed the deal, saying, “Our striking members at Kellogg’s ready-to-eat cereal production facilities courageously stood their ground and sacrificed so much in order to achieve a fair contract.”
The Kellogg’s dispute came amid a wave of threatened and actual strikes across American businesses in recent months, which have seen workers at businesses ranging from hospitals to factories threaten to walk off the job.
The action at the cereal factories drew the attention of prominent Washington Democrats after Kellogg’s moved to replace striking workers, with Biden saying he was “deeply troubled” by the decision.
Progressive Senator Bernie Sanders attended a rally with striking workers in Michigan last week, cheering their stand against what he called “corporate greed.”
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