BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Workers at several Kellogg Company plants, including in Battle Creek, continue to strike for a third day.
Now, the Kellogg Company has announced they're taking steps to make sure people's favorite cereals stay on store shelves.
Around 325 workers remain on strike in Battle Creek. They started Tuesday at midnight along with other plants in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Nebraska.
The workers said they won't stop until the company meets their demands.
"Cereal has got to go in a box, and they will put anything and everything before that. It's really been a long time coming with this," said BCTGM Local 3-G's President and Business Agent Trevor Bidelman.
RIGHT NOW❗️Kellogg’s union workers continue to strike for the third day in #BattleCreek and three other states.
— Lauren Kummer (@LaurenKummerTV) October 7, 2021
The BCTGM Union President tells me there are around 325 total members at this plant, and approximately 1,400 in total walking the picket line. @FOX17 pic.twitter.com/20rHFOMKbb
Workers with the "Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers" (BCTGM) remained on the picket line on Thursday fighting for a "fair contract that provides a living wage and good benefits."
"We're always willing to negotiate. Again, we made it clear from the onset that they had to show us a path, some kind of proposal to get to where the current transitionals and future employees could still get to where we currently are," said Bidelman.
The Kellogg Company provided an update on Wednesday regarding contract negotiations:
“Negotiations have not yet resumed, but we are ready, willing and able to meet and have repeatedly communicated that to the union. In the meantime, we are implementing contingency plans to mitigate supply disruptions, including using salaried employees and third-party resources to produce food.”
Bidelman said he doesn't know how long the third-party resources will last.
"They’re inside the plants trying to get them running, not expecting that to be real successful for them," said Bidelman. "Right now, we're just going to wait for the company to, you know, reach out when they've kind of had enough. The position that we're in, however long they can last, we're going to last one day longer," he said.
BCTGM Local 3-G said they'll continue striking 24/7 until changes are made. Union members said they're also fighting for job security as Kellogg announced back in September they'd be cutting 212 jobs from the Battle Creek plant.
