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Today's AFL-CIO press clips

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 MUST READ

Kellogg’s workers strike isn’t about ‘me’, it’s about ‘we’: BCTGM Local Union President

Yahoo! Finance

October 7, 2021

Trevor Bidelman, BCTGM Local Union President, joins Yahoo Finance to discuss Kellogg’s workers strike.  Trevor Bidelman: Well, this fight is really about the future. They want to make a two-tier benefited system that does not include the premium health care that we have, nor the pensions that we have. They want to take that away from a portion of our current workforce that already has that coming, and they want to make sure that any future workforce does not have that.

LABOR AND ECONOMY

Moms Are Back to Work, But Child Care Resources Are ‘Laughable’

The New York Times

By Jessica Grose

October 6, 2021

While many of these mothers have returned to the work force, somewhere between 900,000 and one million have stopped working to support their families, and according to Ms. Heggeness, these mothers tend to be in dual-income households where their families could survive on one salary. In single-parent families and families that need two incomes to keep the lights on, mothers have returned to their jobs — but they have done so while day care and aftercare options are scarcer than they were prepandemic.

JOINING  TOGETHER

Kennedy Center stagehands authorize strike, putting ‘Hadestown’ and other scheduled shows in jeopardy

The Washington Post

By Peggy McGlone

October 7, 2021

The stagehands who work behind the scenes at the Kennedy Center authorized a strike Thursday morning, more than a year after their contract expired, saying that ongoing talks seem unlikely to result in a new deal. The two sides remain at odds over several key issues, including staffing levels, wages and overtime pay, according to the union. The unanimous vote by members of Local 22 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) comes days before the Broadway hit “Hadestown” — the first major touring show to play at the Kennedy Center since the pandemic — arrives in Washington for a three-week engagement.

Mercy Hospital CWA workers hold candlelight vigil on seventh day of strike

WIVB

By Patrick Ryan

October 7, 2021

Hundreds of CWA Mercy Hospital workers wrapped around the outside of Mercy Hospital picketing Thursday as the Catholic Health strike stretched into day seven. Thursday’s picket included a candlelight vigil that CWA workers say is a show of support for the patients admitted to the hospital. Representatives from the New York State United Teachers and United Auto Workers were also on-site as a show of support. Catholic Health and CWA leaders have been meeting at the bargaining table but have not struck a deal both sides can agree on. 

Kellogg's union workers continue to strike as the company 'implements contingency plans'

WXMI

By Lauren Kummer

October 7, 2021

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.

Why Kellogg's Workers Are On Strike

HuffPost

By Dave Jamieson

October 7, 2021

“This is a company that’s been coming at us over and over and over while their profits grow,” said Bidelman, 40, a mechanic at the plant and president of the local affiliate of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), which represents Kellogg’s workers. “This fight is about the people coming up behind us. We’ve got to say enough is enough.” The showdown at Kellogg’s revolves around a two-tier work system that the union says management is trying to expand at its plants in Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.