2021 Kellogg's Strike
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The 2021 Kellogg's strike was a
labor strike Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike in British English, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became co ...
started on October 5, 2021, and ended December 21, 2021, involving about 1,400 workers for food manufacturer
Kellogg's Kellanova, formerly known as the Kellogg Company and commonly known as Kellogg's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, US. Kellanova produces and markets con ...
, unionized as members of the
Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) is a trade union, labor union in the United States and Canada primarily representing workers in the food processing industry. The union was established in 188 ...
(BCTGM). The strike was caused due to disagreements between the union and company concerning the terms of a new labor contract, with particular points of contention concerning the current two-tier wage system (with legacy workers making $35/hr and new hires $22/hr), health care, holidays, retirement benefits, cost-of-living adjustments, and vacation time. The strike affected all of Kellogg's cereal-producing plants in the United States, consisting of plants in
Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...
;
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
;
Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster ( ) is a city in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 58,039 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, eighth-most populous ci ...
; and
Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...
. It is one of several strikes conducted by the BCTGM in 2021, including strike action against
Frito-Lay Frito-Lay, Inc. (; ) is an American food company that manufactures, markets, and sells snack foods. It began in the early 1930s as two companies, Fritos, the Frito Company and Lay's, H.W. Lay & Company, that merged in 1961. Frito-Lay itself merg ...
and
Nabisco Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International. Nabisco' ...
. The strike is the first to affect Kellogg's Battle Creek plant since 1972, and the first at the Lancaster plant since 1985. The strike ended after union workers voted to approve a new five-year labor contract.


Background

Kellogg's is an American food manufacturer that derives about a third of its profits from its line of
breakfast cereals Breakfast cereal is a category of food, including food products, made from processed cereal grains, that are eaten as part of breakfast or as a snack food, primarily in Western societies. Although warm, cooked cereals like oat meal, maize g ...
, which includes brands such as
Froot Loops Froot Loops is a sweetened, fruit-flavored breakfast cereal made by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canadian, and Caribbean markets and Kellanova for the rest of the world. The brand was solely owned by the original Kellogg Company before ...
and
Frosted Flakes Frosted Flakes or Frosties is a breakfast cereal, produced by WK Kellogg Co for the United States, Canada, and Caribbean markets and by Kellanova for the rest of the world, and consisting of sugar-coated corn flakes. It was introduced in the U ...
. In the United States, the company operated four cereal-producing plants in Battle Creek, Michigan (also where the company is headquartered); Omaha, Nebraska; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee. Going into October 2021, the company had been negotiating for over a year with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM), a
labor union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
that represents about 1,400 workers at these plants. The union and company had had a rough relationship over the past several years, with the company performing a lockout at their Memphis plant in 2013 and 2014, firing about 187 workers at their Battle Creek plant in 2018, and in September 2021, announcing that they would be firing about another 200 employees from that plant, a majority of whom would be union employees. One worker, describing the situation at the Lancaster plant, compared it to a "
death of a thousand cuts ''Lingchi'' (IPA: , ), usually translated "slow slicing" or "death by a thousand cuts", was a form of torture and execution used in China from roughly 900 until it was banned in 1905. It was also used in Vietnam and Korea. In this form of exe ...
". While the contract between the union and company had expired in 2020, an extension renewed the existing contract until October 2021. On September 8 and 9, 2021, both sides submitted their proposals for a new contract and entered into discussions on them. However, during the negotiations, the parties could not agree on several key issues, including policies regarding health care, holidays, retirement benefits, and vacation time. In particular, Kellogg's was seeking to expand a two-tier employee system composed of "legacy" and "transitional" employees. According to the company, legacy employees average $35 per hour, and newer "transitional" employees make $22 per hour. Under the system that had been in place in the prior five-year contract, transitional employees received less pay and reduced benefits compared to the legacy employees, but only 30% of all employees could be classified as transitional. Kellogg's, however, was seeking to remove this cap, which the union alleged would cause a majority of employees to become classified as transitional. The union was opposed to these changes and also stated that the company was threatening to move some production work to
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
if these changes were not implemented. In response, Omaha, Nebraska BCTGM local president
Dan Osborn Dan Osborn (born March 29, 1975) is a U.S. Navy veteran, industrial mechanic, former labor union leader and independent politician. Osborn served in the Nebraska Army National Guard before working at Kellogg's Omaha plant. He eventually becam ...
said: "A lot of Americans probably don't have too much issue with the Nike or Under Armor hats being made elsewhere or even our vehicles, but when they start manufacturing our food down where they are out of the FDA control and OSHA control, I have a huge problem with that." In addition, the president of BCTGM
Local Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...
3G stated that the company was seeking to remove
cost-of-living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...
adjustments and stop offering
pensions A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a "defined benefit plan", wher ...
to new employees.


Course of the strike

The strike began at 1:00 a.m. the next day, October 5, 2021, with
picketing Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pi ...
commencing outside Kellogg's facilities. The strike affected all four of Kellogg's American production facilities, with all of them ceasing operations. The same day, the company stated that they were "implementing contingency plans" to reduce supply disruptions, with one union member stating that the company would try to bring in
strikebreakers A strikebreaker (sometimes pejoratively called a scab, blackleg, bootlicker, blackguard or knobstick) is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers may be current employees ( union members or not), or new hires to keep the org ...
. The company later clarified that they would be using "salaried employees and third-party resources" to cover for the strikers. Additionally, ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'' reported that whether the strike would significantly affect supply of Kellogg's products remained unclear. Shortly after the start of the strike, Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke urged both sides to return to negotiations. Speaking to ''
HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'', a union spokesperson stated that while the union was not officially instituting a boycott, "supporters and consumers could certainly support the Kellogg workers and their fight for a fair contract by choosing NOT to buy Kellogg cereals while the strike is ongoing." According to the union, the strike was open-ended and would continue until a new contract was agreed to. On October 11, third-party contractors began to arrive at Kellogg's plants to serve as replacements for the striking workers. The next day, Kellogg's issued a
press release A press release (also known as a media release) is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing new information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public releas ...
in which they clarified the "myths" and "facts" of the contract proposal and working conditions at their plants. Following this, the president of Omaha's Local 50G stated that he was recommending strikers return to work for a 90-day period under the terms of the previous contract while a new contract could be ratified. Despite this, a negotiator for Local 50G stated on October 13 that negotiations remained at an impasse. That same day, a large rally was held near the factory that was attended by strike supporters and members of several other labor union groups, including members of the
AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...
's Omaha Federation of Labor. The rally's speaker was the
president emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some ca ...
of that federation, who had previously worked at the Kellogg's plant. Around this same time, a photograph of a striker picketing through a torrential rainstorm in Omaha on October 12
went viral Viral phenomena or viral sensations are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the te ...
online, with many sharing the image and commenting in support of the strike. On October 14, several members of the
Nebraska Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislative branch, legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators ...
, including Carol Blood, Megan Hunt,
Mike McDonnell Mike McDonnell (born January 15, 1966) is an American politician who served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2017 to 2025, representing the 5th district. He was a Democrat before switching to the Republican Party in 2024 after being censured by ...
, and Tony Vargas, issued a press release in support of the strikers and urging Kellogg's to bargain in good faith with the union. The next day, ''Newsweek'' reported that Kellogg's had released an advertisement seeking replacement workers willing to "cross the picket line" and help with production while the strike was occurring, with the ad stating, "While these are temporary positions at this time, they could lead to permanent opportunities in the future."


Proposed agreement

On December 2, Kellogg's management and the BCTGM leadership announced a tentative agreement for a five-year contract, which would have raised wages by 3% for longtime workers and put in place standard wage rates for all employees ranked as "in transition", the proposition starting salaries at $22.76 for when workers are hired and receiving a $0.90 raise per year, for the 6 first years. The agreement would also give all transitional employees a promotion to legacy if they had worked for the company for 4 years, and would have included enhanced dental and vision benefits for all workers. Transitional employees would also gain additional vacation time based on their tenure with the company. However, the contract would have also preserved the two-tiered wage system favored by company management, the removal of which was the primary objective of the union.


Announcement of replacement of workers

The union membership overwhelmingly rejected the tentative agreement in a December 5 vote. Following the vote, on December 7, Kellogg's management announced they would seek to replace all 1,400 striking workers.


Ending of strike

On December 21, about 1,400 Kellogg workers approved a collective bargaining agreement, ending the strike, which had lasted 77 days.


Boycott and social media backlash

After various calls on social media, made after the announcement that workers would be fired, a boycott was initiated. The
subreddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
r/antiwork r/antiwork is a subreddit associated with contemporary labor movements, critique of work, corporate capitalism and the anti-work movement. The forum's slogan reads: "Unemployment for all, not just the rich!" The subreddit was originally founded ...
, devoted to discussions on worker exploitation by the rich and powerful, began a campaign in
solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...
with striking workers to flood Kellogg's job application site when Kellogg's opened up applications to replace striking workers. Reddit users also created automated scripts and defeated attempts by Kellogg's to block automated applications. When this made recruiting replacement workers difficult, Kellogg's switched to hiring through staffing agencies instead of direct recruitment. A spokesperson for Kellogg's denied claims that the website had crashed, and said that the hiring process was "fully operational".
President Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and re ...
raised ethical concerns over Kellogg's behavior, stating "permanently replacing striking workers is an existential attack on the union and its members' jobs and livelihoods" and that he has "long opposed permanent striker replacements and...strongly upportslegislation that would ban that practice".


See also

*
Dan Osborn Dan Osborn (born March 29, 1975) is a U.S. Navy veteran, industrial mechanic, former labor union leader and independent politician. Osborn served in the Nebraska Army National Guard before working at Kellogg's Omaha plant. He eventually becam ...
*
Strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic Strikes occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic due to many factors including: hazard pay or low pay, unsafe working conditions (due to poor social distancing or a lack of personal protective equipment), inability to pay rent. These strikes are se ...


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kellogg's strike, 2021 2021 in Michigan 2021 in Nebraska 2021 in Pennsylvania 2021 in Tennessee 2021 labor disputes and strikes Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union Battle Creek, Michigan History of Lancaster, Pennsylvania History of Memphis, Tennessee 2020s in Omaha, Nebraska Kellogg's Labor disputes in Michigan Labor disputes in Nebraska Labor disputes in Pennsylvania Labor disputes in Tennessee Labor relations by company Manufacturing industry labor disputes in the United States October 2021 in the United States Strikes during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States Protests in the United States