Strikes at Nabisco bakeries in the United States have reached the two week mark after workers failed to reach negotiations with Nabisco’s parent company, Mondelez.
On Aug. 10, more than 200 workers at the Nabisco bakery in Portland, Oregon, walked out and began striking. Workers at the Aurora, Colorado distribution center and the Richmond, Virginia bakery respectively joined the strike as well on Aug. 12 and Aug. 16. Bakers in Chicago also joined the strike on Aug. 19, meaning that every Nabisco bakery in the United States is now on strike. Nabisco bakeries produce popular snacks that include Oreos and Ritz crackers. The strikers are represented by local chapters of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ International Union (BCTGM).
According to Today, the union was negotiating a new contract with Mondelez after the last contract expired in May. Mondelez’s proposed contract stated that workers’ shifts would switch from “eight-hour shifts, five days a week, to 12-hour shifts, three or four days a week, without overtime, and with increased mandatory work on weekends without extra pay.” Premiums that were given to workers for working overtime would be getting slashed as well; instead of being paid the premium for overtime after their shifts, workers would not receive extra pay until they hit 40 hours of work.
However, workers are concerned that this will result in them getting more twelve hours shifts and overtime with less compensation overall. According to HuffPost, Mike Burlingham — a worker at the Portland bakery and the vice president of Oregon’s local BCTGM chapter — said that the new schedule change would essentially be exploiting workers this way, especially after they helped Mondelez make record profits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Burlingham told Today that “What’s a benefit to one is a benefit to all. If one of my kids comes to work here one day, I don’t want to tell him I voted to keep something to benefit me and not him,” referring to the portion of the contract that includes a change in healthcare plans for new hires. Strikers are concerned that this will create animosity between longtime employees and new employees.
Workers have also expressed concern that the new contract is a means for Mondelez to outsource new jobs to Mexico. Anthony Shelton, the International President of BCTGM, said in a statement that “Nabisco’s response to these loyal, hardworking employees has been to close two more bakeries in Fairlawn, NJ and Atlanta, GA, ship 1,000 more good, middle-class jobs to Mexico and demand major contract concessions from the workers.” However, Mondelez denies this claim, stating that Mondelez had no intention of giving jobs away overseas in its contract.
According to Northwest Labor Press, the workers also claim that they have been working nonstop for weeks without a single day off, and that the strike has been their first break from work in months. Production at the Portland bakery was temporarily halted, but replacement workers began production again on Aug. 17.
The strikers continue to receive support on social media. Actor Danny DeVito recently tweeted in support of a boycott of Nabisco products, while U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has also tweeted in solidarity with the striking workers. DeVito’s tweet allegedly caused him to temporarily lose his verified status on Twitter.
Mondelez’s most recent update was Monday, in which they stated that their “goal has been — and continues to be — to bargain in good faith with the BCTGM leadership across our U.S. bakeries and sales distribution facilities to reach new contracts that continue to provide [their] employees with good wages and competitive benefits, including quality, affordable healthcare, and company-sponsored Enhanced Thrift Investment 401(k) Plan, while also taking steps to modernize some contract aspects which were written several decades ago.”
The Nabisco strikes come amid a larger movement of workers demanding their rights. About a month ago, the Frito-Lay strike in Topeka, Kansas reached its conclusion after the union finally reached an agreement with the company. In both cases, BCTGM has been at the forefront of striking and making negotiations with major corporations.