2009 Organizing News

December 2009

BCTGM Region Six International Vice President Randy Roark is pleased to report that BCTGM Local 24 (San Francisco) has successfully organized the new Caravan Baking Company production facility in Union City, California.  The bargaining unit will include all production, wrapping, shipping and receiving, maintenance and sanitation departments. 

The new bakery already employs 75 bakers who produce Oroweat Sandwich Thins for Bimbo Baking Company.  Local 24 represents the bakers at the existing Caravan Bakery, which is running at full capacity. 

Roark credits Local 24 Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Biringer and Business Agents Humberto Gomez and Oscar Hernandez with this successful organizing drive.  We congratulate Local 24 on this organizing victory and welcome the new members employed at Caravan Baking into our BCTGM family!

 

November 2009

When a production plant that employs BCTGM members closes its doors, does the local just say farewell to those workers?

According to BCTGM Region 1 Vice President Art Montminy maintaining support of such members can pay off. Montminy says that an example of such dedication was recently exemplified by Local 102 (New York, NY). 

In January, the Angonoa Bread Sticks production bakery in College Park, N.Y. announced it was permanently closing the plant.  Local 102 President Raymond Aquilino stayed in contact with his members, assisting them with their unemployment issues, health insurance problems and anything else where he thought he could lend a helping hand. 

The former Angonoa bakery was idled for several months and was eventually bought by JAG Specialty Foods, LLC.  JAG decided to reopen the bakery but quickly discovered that experienced bakers, maintenance workers and sanitation workers were vital to making it run. The company subsequently rehired most of the former workforce.  The bakers quickly signed 80 percent of the workforce on BCTGM authorization for representation cards, and JAG decided that there was no need to proceed with a National Labor Relations Board election and granted recognition instead.  This plant is once again under a union contract with BCTGM Local 102 and the worker’s lives have resumed to normalcy. 

Congratulations to Local 102 President Ray Aquilino and his staff for maintaining contact and assisting the BCTGM members after the bakery closed, which eventually lead to the workers regaining their jobs and their union!

 

October 2009

Roskam Certification Illustrates Democracy at Work

Just a year after Local 70 (Grand Rapids, Mich.) organized Roskam Baking Company's new cereal plant in Grand Rapids, the company has voluntarily recognized the local union at its new candy manufacturing facility.

In 2008, representatives from Local 70--which has had a decades-long relationship with the company at facilities throughout Michigan--approached Roskam management about voluntarily recognizing the union at the new facility. Initially the company refused, however it allowed Local 70 representatives into the plant to gauge worker interest. Due to overwhelming interest, the local signed up a significant majority of the workforce and presented the authorization cards to management. The company immediately recognized the local union and has subsequently negotiated a five year collective bargaining agreement. This plant produces Bear Naked cereal for the Kellogg Company.

In August, Roskam management voluntarily recognized Local 70 at the company's new Grand Rapids candy facility after the local produced a clear majority of signed authorization cards from workers. Negotiations are set to begin immediately. The new plant produces products for Hershey Company, under the Zagnuts, Reese's Crispy Crunch, Mr. Good Bar and Cookies and Crème brands.

According to David B. Durkee, BCTGM International Secretary-Treasurer and Director of Organization, the BCTGM experience at Roskam shows that labor relations, specifically organizing, does not have to be so adversarial.

"This really is a win-win situation. The workers get a solid union contract and representation on the job, while the company gets a dedicated workforce. And it's very clear, that free of management interference and intimidation, workers would prefer to belong to a union," said Durkee.

"Many non-union food producers are willing to spend millions of dollars on anti-union lawyers to keep the union out; they intimidate, harass and fire workers for union activity; and then they are surprised when they have high turnover, low efficiency and an unhappy and unhealthy workforce. It just doesn’t make sound business sense to run your business in this manner," continued Durkee.

Local 70, which has contracts with Keebler Company and Kerry Ingredients, also represents Roskam workers at a snack foods plant in Grand Rapids and two plants in Kentwood, Michigan.

 

July 2009

Local 114 (Portland, Oregon) continues its rich tradition of organizing, according to International Vice President Randy Roark. Several of Local 114's organizing campaigns have been delayed because of illegal activity by the employers against the workers who want to be represented by the BCTGM, in addition to the lengthy litigation process via the National Labor Relations Board. However, the local has continued with other successful campaigns. Principal Local 114 Officer & Financial Secretary Terry Lansing reports that the local has organized the in-store bakers and cake decorators at Albertson's (Store #506) located in West Linn, Oregon, and credits Local 114 President Georgene Barragan with this effort. Local 114 has also organized Almost Heaven Catering (MKW Inc.) in Beaver Creek, Oregon. Both Lansing and Barragan worked the catering campaign. Keep up the great organizing work Local 114!

April 2009

Pass the BCTGM-made milk to enjoy with your BCTGM-made cookies or cereal. On March 17, more than 100 workers at Land-O-Sun Dairy in Richmond, Va. voted to join BCTGM Local 358 (Richmond).

Land-O-Sun Dairy, a subsidiary of dairy giant Dean Foods, produces all varieties of fresh milk under private label brands. Land-O-Sun Dairy, which was acquired by Dean Foods in 1998, has dairies in several other states, including Tennessee, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, South Carolina and Kentucky, which produce fluid dairy and ice-cream.

The campaign was led by Local 358 Financial Secretary Ted Constable and Local 358 President/Organizer Ray Daniels and International Representative/Organizer Jimmy Condran. Also assisting in the campaign were Local 358 members from two other facilities: Maurice Canady, Kraft Foods Chief Shop Steward and Phillip Ware, Filtrona Payne Chief Shop Steward.

The company did not immediately offer voluntary recognition after more than 51 percent of the workers at the plant signed union authorization cards in June 2008.The local union filed for an election with the National Labor Relations Board. In the meantime, the company hired a union-busting law firm to stifle the organizing drive, and began holding mandatory meetings to try to convince the workers to vote against unionization.

The workers withstood management's campaign and Local 358 intensified their efforts to educate the workers on the benefits of belonging to the BCTGM.

The workers were so determined to have a union that on election day, two employees got out of sick beds and came to the voting site to vote for the union and then returned home. More than 70 percent of the Land-O-Sun workers voted to join the BCTGM.

Congratulations to Local 358 organizers for their hard work and determination in this organizing drive! And welcome to BCTGM union family Land-O-Sun workers!

 

March 2009

BCTGM Local 24 (San Francisco, CA) has organized the Safeway in-store bakeries in Santa Clara (store #763) and Navato (store #2828), California.  The organizing campaigns were lead by Local 24 Financial Secretary Joe Biringer and his staff, according to Region 6 International Vice President Randy Roark.  The BCTGM welcomes the new Safeway retail bakers into our Union!

 

February 2009

BCTGM Local 55 (Laval, Quebec) has organized the warehouse and in-store bakery workers employed at Saputo Boulangerie in Gatineau, Quebec. According to Region Five Vice President Sean Kelly, the successful organizing effort was led by Local 55 Financial Secretary & Business Agent Martin Cayer.

Kelly also reported that Local 406 (Moncton, New Brunswick) organized the thrift store workers employed by the Canada Bread Thrift Store (#491) in Moncton. This effort was led by Business Agent Mark Robar.

The BCTGM welcomes these new Canadian members into the union family!

 

January 2009

BCTGM Local 351 (Albuquerque, NM) has remained busy organizing, according to Region Six Vice President Randy Roark. The local union has organized two new in-store retail bakeries at Smiths Food & Drugs, located in Los Lunas and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Los Lunas location is a new Tortillaria or Mexican in-store bakery.

Local 351 President & Business Agent Earl Reed, who headed up both organizing campaigns, is hopeful that the Tortillaria bakery concept is successful and expands at Smiths Food & Drugs chain of stores.

Reed stated, "The Tortillaria serves the changing needs and demands of our members customers and provides the Union with an opportunity to grow."

"La BCTGM recibe y da la bienvenida a nuestros nuevos miembros de panaderia"!