US Senator Bernie Sanders joined striking workers for the Kellogg’s cereal brand rallied outside of the company’s headquarters in Battle Creek, Michigan, on Friday, telling them people who are truly patriotic “love the workers.”
“If you love America, I come from the Senate, every politician there [talks about] how much they love America, they got the big American flags — if you love America, you love the workers,” the democratic socialist told a crowd at the facility. “And if you love American workers, you don’t ship their jobs to desperate people in Mexico, and pay ‘em 90 cents an hour.”
Roughly 1,400 workers for the company have been on strike since early October, protesting gruelling work conditions that included 12-hour days, and weeks without a single day off, as well as a two-tiered wage scale where newer employees make less.
“I’m here today, not just because you’re on strike,” Senator Sanders said in his remarks before a crowd of strikers. “I’m standing here today because you have had the incredible courage right here to take on corporate greed. And all over this country, working people are looking at you, and they’re saying thank you for your courage.”
Joe Biden has also expressed his support for the workers, writing in a letter that Mr Sanders read aloud, “You, the American worker on the backbone of America. I’ve always believed that the middle class built this country and that unions built the middle class. Your right to bargain collectively is an essential tool that protects your livelihoods, contributes to your company’s success, and ensures our economy works for working people.”
Members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers union rejected a tentative labour agreement earlier this month, and will vote again on a revised agreement that includes cost of living adjustments and a $1.10 per hour raise to all employees.
In recent days, Kellogg’s has sought permanent non-union replacements for the striking employees.
