Unionized workers of Kellogg's Company
Kellogg's workers represented by the Bakery Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union launched a strike in October. In addition to concerns over pay and benefits, the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic pushed workers to a breaking point.
"You work weekends and occasionally get forced over 16 hours a day, and now they want to take those things away from me. [I] missed enough time with my family and friends because of those things, and I'm not going to work here for less." A striker said in October.
Prompted by similar concerns over wages and benefits and pressed by the pandemic, 2021 saw a resurgence of organized labor as an economic force. Kellogg's employees were joined by striking workers from various industries, from fellow cereal workers at Mondelez
However, the picket line was a tough frontline to hold for many strikers. Workers at Kellogg's faced the prospect of being replaced with strikebreakers, or "scabs," as negotiations broke down. John Deere workers faced a potential impasse after making a "final and best" offer, which could have prolonged plant disruptions.
As Mondelez and John Deere workers achieved favorable contracts, Kellogg's workers faced more stiff resistance. It would not be until days before Christmas that strikers received news that the company had capitulated.
However, the writing was on the wall for Kellogg's and many companies. Outside of organized labor, the American workforce had demonstrated its fatigue with overwork and underpay. Countless wage workers have departed low-pay/high-stress, causing a "labor shortage" for the retail and foodservice sectors.
The case of the Kellogg's strike serves as a fitting end-cap to a busy year for organized labor but may be a bellwether from now on as well. As the pandemic severely altered consumer demands, it similarly altered worker demand. The dangers of the pandemic prompted many workers to reconsider their compensation in light of a more volatile work environment.
Going into 2022, with more union contracts inevitably reaching their end, it is likely to see strikes becoming more common. However, the prevalence of strikes and the relative power of unions in 2021 may prompt some companies to meet workers in the middle more willingly.
