Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
After 11 weeks on the picket line, members of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 1 who work at Teasdale Latin Foods in Hoopeston, Illinois, have voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.
Workers stood together and fought back hard against the food supplier’s attempt to outsource union jobs, change scheduling practices and establish a two-tier wage system.
“These hard-working members put it all on the line in their fight for a fair contract,” said BCTGM International President Anthony Shelton. “This settlement is the result of their dedication, and the solidarity of the labor movement and the community. When you attempt to dismantle a BCTGM Union contract, we will fight back. When private equity owners with no ties to the local community try to undermine the negotiating process, we will fight back. Our members in Hoopeston sacrificed their jobs to stand up for working people everywhere. I could not be more proud.”