Solidarity with BCTGM & UAW
DSA Metro Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky stands in unwavering solidarity with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM) presently on strike at Kellogg’s and the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) presently on strike at John Deere.
Since October 5, more than 1,400 Kellogg's workers have been striking for fair wages and benefits. According to BCTGM, Kellogg’s has threatened to outsource jobs if the union does not accept its terms. These terms include a two-tiered system in which new hires would not receive pensions and would never earn wages that match legacy employees’. This proposed two-tier system would divide workers, pitting long-term employees against newly hired ones. In a courageous show of solidarity, BCTGM workers are rejecting Kellogg's terms and striking to win a contract that is fair for everyone.
More than 10,000 UAW workers have been striking at John Deere plants since October 14, after union members rejected a tentative agreement that would have provided only 20-cent cent raises and restricted retirement benefits for workers hired after the contract was ratified. Deere has taken dramatic action to break the strike by withholding payments, and successfully seeking a court injunction to limit picketing in Davenport, Iowa.
When workers organize and fight, we win. . We support BCTGM and UAW members’ demands and call on Kellogg’s and John Deere to agree to fair contracts immediately.