US bakers’ union asked for court compelled arbitration against Mondelēz International

 
Mondelēz International will face the court case, after the workers in Chicago called for arbitration regarding the company’s continued use of non-union employees in bargaining unit positions instead of hiring union employees into open positions.

BCTGM Local 300 – which represents nearly 1,000 members at the Mondelēz Nabisco Bakery located at 7300 Kedzie Avenue in Chicago, part of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, accused the violations of its Collective Bargaining Agreement, according to a press release. 

The complaint contends that this action was taken to diminish the union’s bargaining power prior to moving production lines to Mexico, an action which would eliminate nearly half of the jobs at the Bakery. The filing calls for the stoppage of any job movement while these issues are in dispute.

BCTGM Midwest Region International Vice President Jethro Head, who also lives in the Chicago area, said: “They (Mondelēz International) came to us in May of 2015 with a request that the members of Local 300 give up 46 million dollars annually in wages and benefits in order to secure four new ovens here in Chicago. The company knew that people could not work for half the pay and practically nonexistent benefits crafting products the company makes billions a year on under their current wage agreement. In addition, it was clear that the company had already made the decision to take the jobs to Mexico before we even met. They have not hired any Local 300 bargaining unit members since November of 2014 as positions opened at the company. Their proposal was bogus and nothing more than an attempt to go through the motions of discussing something they had decided at least as far back as 2014.”
Ed Burpo, Local 300 President, commented on the company hiring of non-union contractors: “The company contends that it had to bring in contractors to cover the work because of increased absenteeism, but it has nothing to do with absenteeism and everything to do with the company not hiring in the bargaining unit to replace workers that had left since November of 2014, while still trying to complete the same workload on a daily basis. Of course, you will be short when you do not hire to replace those who leave or retire. The company always try to make the facts fit their statements rather than backing up their statements with the facts.” 

On January, 19, the company advised 277 Local 300 members that they would be terminated on March, 21, as the company takes their jobs to Mexico. In recent years, Mondelēz has exhibited a pattern of seeking short-term cost cuts at the expense of larger productivity that erodes job security and working conditions for its employees.
The National contract between Mondelēz International and more than 2,000 of its 4,000 workers represented by the BCTGM expires on February 29, 2016.
Mondelēz International did not react to this information.