STATEMENT FROM AFL-CIO PRESIDENT RICHARD TRUMKA AND IOWA FEDERATION OF LABOR PRESIDENT, KEN SAGAR:
The AFL-CIO endorsed a nationwide consumer boycott of American Crystal Sugar products to begin Monday, October 15, in response to Crystal’s Sugar 14-month lockout of its workers. The AFL-CIO noted that the boycott will be called off if the management of Crystal Sugar, which has denied its workers the opportunity to do their jobs, returns to the bargaining table in good faith and concludes a contract.
This consumer boycott is part of the broader labor movement’s continued support for the locked-out workers of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM). American Crystal Sugar management has blocked 1,300 workers from their jobs for over a year, denying them incomes and healthcare benefits. The national labor movement endorses boycotts cautiously and only in instances of grave injustice.
“The twelve million union families of the AFL-CIO are proud to stand with the courageous locked-out workers who are responsible for American Crystal Sugar’s profitability and previously strong reputation,” AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said. “As we saw with the lock out of the NFL referees, locking out skilled workers who do important, unglamorous work hurts not only the workers, but the product and he bottom line. We hope that this boycott will encourage Crystal Sugar to finally respect its workers, who worked so hard every day to make Crystal Sugar a highly profitable industry leader.”
Trumka continued that “Crystal Sugar workers have been locked out since August 1st of last year because Crystal Sugar’s CEO, after rewarding himself with a 50% pay increase for his union workers’ increased productivity, decided to try to break the workers’ union. Berg’s actions have endangered the generation of labor peace that made Crystal Sugar an industry leader. We hope that American Crystal Sugar will return to the bargaining table to conclude a contract and end the corporation’s sliding reputation and bottom line. With good faith by Crystal Sugar’s management, the corporation can return to its previous course of harmonious labor relations and profitability.”
“It’s unfortunate that this lockout by Crystal Sugar has come to an official boycott”, said Ken Sagar, President of Iowa Federation of a Labor. “We have Iowans that work for American Crystal Sugar (United Sugar) in Mason City that have been locked too long. This lock out and now boycott impacts the community and state. A boycott will also have an adverse impact on farmers and others associated with the making of sugar.”
Unions have been the death of jobs in this country. When people complain about companies moving their factories to other countries, unions are the main reason they did so. That and consumer demand for cheap products that union workers here would not produce.
BUY MORE SUGAR…Crystal Sugar that is.
Unions never help the best workers. They only punish them by protecting the worst ones.
Boycott sugar? Are you kidding? Sugar is in everything you eat. I haven’t bought a bag of sugar in years, yet I eat it all the time.
Management and Unions spend 97% of their time with the 3% of workers that should never have been hired in the first place. Unions will fight on and on for these people instead of supporting the hand that feeds them. The old style of union thinking is why there are less and less union jobs available. I am not anti-union, I am anti – stupidity.
Mark is not being factual as it wasnt a net decrease and all employees face big increases in healthcare with obamacare…unions have been losing membership in droves and will continue to do so and become even less meaningful in the future with leadership like this
Do they really think a boycott is going to change their mind? Just a chance in hell of that happening. Unions don’t amount to that much of the population. In the company’s eyes they made a good faith proposal that is based on sales increase if things go right and they were turned down. The idea that they should share in the profits of the company is just stupid but that is what must be expected of the union mentality.
Mark, this is not a government job where the employees get large increases even when not warrented. This is real world, I am sure crystal sugar has competitors, there is a limit to what they can pay? Again, you have to ask yourself, will somebody else take this job for the money being offered? Can somebody else do the job I do? My guess the answer was, yes and yes.
The people who I would be mad at is the Union that told me to hold out because you can get more and more. When the company said 17% was the final offer, I assume that meant it would be the final offer. At that point, you have a choice, work for what was being offered, or risk loosing the job forever. The choice was made, now you have to live with it? Thats the way it works in the real world.
Sure 17% over several years would seem to be a good deal, BUT when it is tied to large increases in the employee’s health care cost and those cancel out or even decreases the net wage then it’s not such a good deal. I don’t think that I would ever vote for a pay decrease. At least not without some negotiations in good faith by both parties.
iirc
The “large increases in the employee’s health care cost” (a very small amount a month) was more than covered by the ‘signing bonus’ that was in the first version of the contract.
I wish my health care costs could be as low as the amount Crystal Sugar wanted you guys to pay.
This is a good lesson for all, before you choose to give your job away, ask yourself what you are likely going to be able to land next?
How did they give their job away? They were locked out not on strike. They went to work and Crystal Sugar said get out and stay out. Just because they did not bend over and take it up the rear end then that is giving away their job?
17% Increase in pay is not a bad deal…having their kids send in letters would just harden my stance if I was mgmt…unions will “cut off their nose to spite their face”..see how that works when unemployment runs out
BULLYING AT ITS UGLIEST !!!!!
Unions have contributed to the ruination of American jobs & the U.S. Education system !
And the pesky Grinch stole Christmas too! Whatever, your post are not very credible when presented in such a lame way.
Sign the contract and get back to work!
-also-
Dicky could stand to lay off the sugar AND fat. Seriously.