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December 2001

  • Penske Truck Leasing, in Rochester, New York has been organized by
    Local 50     (Spotswood, N.J.).
  • Local 70 (Grand Rapids, Mich.) successfully organized Cereal Services of America, which is a Division of Roskam Baking Company, also located in Grand Rapids, Mich. This plant produces mini breadsticks and pretzels for snack mix products and then co-packs the product with other ingredients for Kellogg's, General Mills and Frito-Lay. The BCTGM International Union welcomes these 157 bakers into our family!
  • Looking for a good meal in a union restaurant in the Bronx (New York City)? Then check out Pasquale's Rigoletto Restaurant! This unique eatery has been organized by BCTGM Local 102 (Ozone Park, N.Y.).

November 2001

BCTGM won an organizing campaign at the Boboli Pizza Crust manufacturing plant in Hazleton, Pa. Boboli is part of the Westons Baking Company family, which also owns Bestfoods and Stroehmann Baking companies. The Local 6 bargaining unit includes 271 workers in the production, sanitation, maintenance, warehouse, and quality control departments, floor workers, stock clerks, and line leads. Boboli produces pizza crusts and waffles.
This victory was complete following a third party card check by the Federal Mediation and Consolidation Service (FMCS), where the majority status was certified and recognition was achieved.This victory marks Local 6's third organizing win at a Weston's Baking production facility in the past few years.

October 2001

  • The Sara Lee (Earthgrains) Redding French Bakery production plant, in Redding, Calif. has been organized by the BCTGM. While the election was won narrowly by one vote, Local 85 (Sacramento, Calif.) representatives and BCTGM international organizers are credited for their close work and communication within the Asian Mien community, which makes up the majority of workers at the plant.
  • Local 389 (Winnipeg, M.B.) was successful in organizing the room attendants, housekeepers, maintenance, banquet, security, pool, restaurant, and front desk workers and bartenders who work at the new Polo Park Inn owned by Cannad Inns. This beautiful new facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, opened in February of this year. The main bar actually consists of a combination of five bars and holds 1,000 customers. Cannad Inns also owns the Club Regency Casino & Hotel that was organized by Local 389 last year. This privately owned hotel and casino chain always opposed unions at their operations, but softened their resistance after the BCTGM lobbied for legislation which was of mutual interest.
  • Local 65 (Tulsa, Okla.) won an organizing election to represent the sales workers at the Interstate Baking Company thrift stores in Austin and Rogers, Ark.

September 2001

  • Local 406 (Moncton, NB) recently claimed an organizing victory at Atlantic Waffle in Moncton. An election was not needed because of the number of authorization cards obtained by the BCTGM exceeded the number that would have required an election according to New Brunswick Labour Law. Local 406 was certified as the exclusive bargaining representative for the 140 bakers at Atlantic Waffle on August 15, 2001.
  • The Giant-Eagle retail bakeries in Alliance and Louisville, Ohio have been organized by Local 19 (Cleveland, Ohio). Giant-Eagle recently purchased the two stores from the Independent Grocers Association (I.G.A.). After organizing the bakeries, the local was able to negotiate a contract that fell under the Local 19 Industry Agreement.

August 2001

Sometimes, those of us in non—“right-to-work-for-less”states have a tendency to take union security clauses in our contracts for granted. But that is not the case in Colorado. While Colorado is not a “right-to-work-for-less”state, union security does not come automatically, but by a second election process.

On February 11, 1998, BCTGM Local 26 (Denver) won their organizing election at Full Service Beverage located in Englewood, Colorado. The bargaining unit consists of the manufacturing workers, bottlers, cleaners, shippers and quality assurance. These members manufacture Canada Dry, 7-UP, A&W Root Beer, Orange Crush, and RC Cola. But according to Colorado state law, the only way the Union would have an opportunity to bargain for union security was to have yet another election, called the “Colorado Peace Act Election.”

The Colorado Peace Act (CPA) was passed and enacted more than 50 years ago, requiring employees belonging to a union bargaining unit to go through a second election conducted by the State of Colorado before they can request that the employer negotiate a union security clause. Colorado is the only state that has this law which is considered unnecessary, archaic, outdated and a burden to Colorado state tax payers.

Colorado House Bill 01-1101 would have eliminated the second election and allowed the employees and the employer free to negotiate union security. However, the measure was recently killed in the Colorado State House Committee on Business Affairs and Labor.

Despite this loss, Local 26 and the workers at Full Service Beverage never gave up their fight for union security and on August 20, 2001, they won their CPA election. This is no small feat, because a Union must win the CPA election by 75 percent.
Congratulations to all of the Local 26 Officers and workers at Full Service Beverage!

  • On July 26 workers at Earthgrains' Redding French bakery voted to join Local 85 (Sacramento, Calif.)
    (Redding, CA produce Redding French)
  • BCTGM Local 358 (Richmond, Va.) won an organizing election to represent workers at Interstate Thrift Stores in Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth and Newport News, Virginia.
  • Local 482 (Jacksonville, Fla.) successfully organized the drivers sales persons and thrift store workers employed by Interstate Baking in Albany, Georgia.
  • Local 50 (New York, N.Y.) has organized the Wayne, New Jersey Interstate thrift store.
  • Local 3 (Long Island, N.Y.) has organized workers at the Master Journeymen Bakers in the New York City and Long Island area. Lorabie Bakery in Rego Park, NY and the Siloia/Siloai Bakery in Ozone Park, NY now proudly join the ranks of Local 3.

June 2001

The BCTGM has successfully won our organizing campaign at the Earthgrains production facility in London, Kentucky. The election results were 102 (Union Yes) to 78 (no).

The first representation election on November 16, 2000, was overturned by the NLRB because of serious federal labor law violations by the company. Unfortunately, Earthgrains choose to continually violate labor law during this campaign. However, workers stood their ground and voted overwhelmingly to join the BCTGM.

  • Local 111 won an organizing election with the clerical workers at the Earthgrains' Paris, Texas production on June 8. This clerical unit overcame fears intilled by the company concerning the workers' pension benefits and voted BCTGM YES! An investigation regarding the company's anti-union activity is underway.

April 2001

  • BCTGM Local 114 (Portland, Ore.) continues it's tradition of sucessful organizing in the retail baking sector with the Fred Meyer in-store bakery in Canby, Ore., the Safeway in-store bakery in Portland, Ore. and the in-story bakery at Thriftway in Portland. All three bakeries now have highly skilled union bakers and cake decorators who are proud members of Local 114.
  • Local 71 (Spokane, Wash.) successfully completed two organizing campaigns with Safeway in-store bakeries located in Cheney and Liberty Lake, Wash.
  • Local 103-G (Decatur, Ill.) won two significant organizing elections covering workers employed by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in Decatur. The first election was won at three ADM warehouse locations with 63 warehouse workers. The second election was won at the new ADM/SSL Veggie chemical blending operation with 37 production operators.
  • Thanks to BCTGM Local 81 (Traverse City, Mich.), full-time food service workers employed by the Benzie County Central School System have the benefits of BCTGM membership.
  • Local 203-T has proven that sometimes a union yields its greatest organizing power at the negotiating table. Local 203-T recently organized the 58 seasonal workers at Philip Morris' Richmond, Va. facility by accreting them into the existing contract.
  • Local 325-T (Brampton, Ont.) employed this same and accreted non-union lab workers into the existing office contract at Rothman's, Benson & Hedges Tobacco facility in Brampton.

March 2001

  • The Interstate Bakery located in Columbus, Ind. is a huge production facility and it has been a BCTGM Local 132 (Columbus, Ind.) union shop since its former days as Sapp's Baking Company. Prior to this year, the garage mechanics at this facility never enjoyed a voice at their workplace with a BCTGM contract. However, in an organizing effort by Local 132 the mechanics unanimously voted to be represented by the BCTGM.
  • BCTGM Local 102 (Ozone Park, NY) recently organized workers at A&S Frozen, Inc. (a division of Caravan Products) in Paterson, NJ A&S is a baking firm that produces frozen dough, bread, muffins and rolls.
  • Following the incredible display of BCTGM strength by Earthgrains' workers during last summers strike (which involved 27 production plants and countless numbers of depots and thrift stores), Earthgrains workers at the Delta, Colo. Earthgrains thrift store decided they wanted a union. Despite the company's anti-worker/antiunion campaign, workers voted to become members of Local 26 (Denver). Additionally, Local 26 has also organized the in-store bakers and cake decorators at the Krogers King Soopers in-store retail bakery in Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • Meanwhile, workers employed at Cleveland's Hopkins International Airport by Alamo Car Rental recently voted to become members of Local 19.

February 2001

BCTGM Organizing in Canada has taken surge in recent months, according to Secretary-Treasurer and Director of Organization David B. Durkee.

  • Vice President Sean Kelly reports that BCTGM Local 264 (Toronto, Ont.) employed successful campaign strategies that utilize the expedited election process in Ontario. As a result, the local has won a very important organizing election at Westons Bakery Company's large production facility located in Toronto that employs 109 bakers. Local 264's campaign was so successful, that only two members of the bargaining unit voted against the representation vote.
  • Additionally, Local 389 (Winnipeg, Manitoba) completed a significant organizing drive at the Club Regency Casino & Hotel. The owner of this brand new hotel and casino softened his position on union organizing when the BCTGM lobbied on some issues of mutual interest at the Manitoba and Winnipeg legislative levels. This organizing victory will add 159 new members when the operation is in full swing. Two other unions also organized other sections of the hotel.
  • Local 55 has organized the truck drivers at the new Maison Cousin Bakery (a Division of multi-Marques, Inc.) located in Lavel, Que. The local had organized the bakers at the same facility early last year. Additionally, Local 55 organized nursery workers at C.P.E. Chez Picotine in Montreal, Que.
  • BCTGM Local 480 (Ste-Marie, Que.) has concluded their organizing campaign at Dumas Patisserie Boulangerie (bakery) located in Ste-Foy, Que. with a certification. These new members specialize in breads and bagels.
  • Credit union workers at the Guelph Credit Union, located in Guelph, Ont. also join the ranks of the BCTGM following a successful organizing campaign. These workers will belong to Local 338-T (Guelph, Ont.).

 

 

The BCTGM proudly welcomes all of our new members into our union family!