Protester at Bernie Sanders rally carries a sign. The term "scab" on the sign refers to the new workers hired by the Kellogg Company to replace strikers.
"We're going on week 12 now, and it's just like, really? We gave you record profits last year and you don't want to share any of that one," said Kellogg's employee Kerry Ramich. "That's just ridiculous. We have to get to the point where our politicians have to fight the battle for us. It's sad."
Around 14 hundred Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM) members, employed by the Kellogg Company, went on strike on October 4 over inconclusive negotiations of a new labor contract. The new contract proposed by Kellogg's included encroachments on healthcare and pension as well as pay cuts for transitional workers who have yet to be promoted to legacy status. The union called for an end to the two tier system, resulting in equal pay for both transitional and legacy employees.
This came after a year and a half of pandemic working conditions, with record low employment numbers and thus, record high hours worked by those who remained. The pressure had been building which, coupled with a near 20% pay increase for the company's CEO Steve Cahillane and the reallocation of domestic jobs to cheaper out-of-country manufacturers, set the stage for conflict.
The striking ensued for nearly 12 weeks, garnering nationwide attention, until the parties reached an agreement on December 21 with increased cost of living benefits for all employees.
This particular strike took place at four U.S. cereal production plants in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Memphis, Tennessee and Omaha, Nebraska. In this time, there were widespread boycotts of Kellogg's products, the most famous of which are cereals such as Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops and Rice Krispies, but also include brands like Pringles and Pop-Tarts.
Eleven weeks in, on December 17, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders appeared at a rally at the epicenter of the strike: across the street from the Kellogg Company headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan at Festival Market Square. He spoke alongside representatives of the Local 3G chapter of BCTGM. Having previously run for president in 2016 and 2020, Sanders brought his big name to the workers' side of the fight.
Ramich shares his experience at the company with fellow protesters. He packs cereal boxes at the Lancaster, Pennsylvania plant, a nine hour drive away from Battle Creek, but when Sanders announced his appearance he said, "I've gotta make the trek. He's my man. I've always been about what he's about and the fact that he's now personally fighting for me, I've gotta at least make an appearance."
"I'm kind of an overtime hog. I worked 35 hundred hours last year. Kellogg's likes to spout off about how everybody makes 120 grand there. I didn't make that working 35 hundred hours," said Ramich.
Getting by on little to no income while striking takes planning. As many of the plant workers did, Ramich set aside money—in his case, his income tax return from last year—to prepare. When the strike went on longer than expected, he had luckily set aside enough rent money to last through January, though was still frustrated by the lack of change in circumstances.
"What this strike is about is not just sending a message to Kellogg's, but to every corporate CEO in this country," Sanders said in his address, "What we are saying is that in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, you've gotta give workers a fair shake. You can't get it all."
Before the Kellogg's strike, BCTGM led major strikes over the summer at Frito-Lay and Nabisco which both resulted in more favorable contract agreements for the employees.
Representatives of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the union representing workers in entertainment around the world who threatened to go on strike over a similar disagreement in October, were present at the rally as well.
Sanders interrupted his speech to deliver a letter from President Joe Biden. "You have persevered through this pandemic and challenging economic times. Through it all, you have continued to fight for the dignity and respect you and workers across this nation deserve," Biden wrote. "My message to you is keep the faith."