OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Kellogg’s plans to start hiring permanent replacements for some of its 1,400 striking cereal plant workers after negotiations broke down again.
The Battle Creek, Michigan-based company said it failed to reach an agreement with the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Monday, so it is moving forward with its plan to keep its plants operating with salaried employees and outside workers.
The Kellogg’s workers have been on strike since Oct. 5, and now they will have to continue picketing through Thanksgiving because the negotiations aren’t scheduled to resume until the week of Dec. 6.
“We recognize the hardship that this prolonged strike represents for our employees,” the company said in a statement. “After 15 negotiations sessions in 2021 – and no proposals put to membership for a vote – we are left with no choice but to best serve the short- and long-term interests of our customers and consumers by moving to the next phase of our contingency plans.”
The Kellogg Co. said that plan includes continuing to use temporary workers to operate their plants and in some cases hiring permanent replacements for striking workers.