BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — One month ago, workers at the Kellogg's plant in Battle Creek walked out in the dark of night. Since then, no member of Local 3G, the union representing them, has walked back in.
"I'm out here fighting for my benefits and my future and more pay," said Kellogg's employee Cherry Crockett.
Six years into her time with Kellogg's, she's still labeled as a "transitional" employee, rather than a legacy employee. Transitional employees receive a lower tier of benefits, which the union say they're fighting to eliminate.
"If they can have it, and we do the same job," Crockett says, "I can too."
The negotiations have gone back and forth between Kellogg's and the union. Each side has blamed the other for being unable to meet in the middle.
Wednesday, the company gave the union what they are calling their "last, best offer," and Friday made a call for employees to demand a vote on it. Union leaders say that vote would be pointless.
"We looked at it and said this is the exact same thing we were out on the street to begin with," said Trevor Bidelman, union president for Local 3G.
We reached out to Kellogg's through phone and email asking for an interview, but did not get a response. The company does have a strike update website, which is where we found the recap of their "Last, best final offer".
That agreement would maintain the pipeline from transitional employee to legacy, includes wage increases if the offer gets signed and cost of living adjustments depending on an employee's tenure. If not voted on, it's set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 11.
Kellogg's website maintains they are still willing to hear out any realistic counter offer from the union. As for union leaders, they say the strike was bound to happen, and they are willing to wait "one day longer" than the company to get their demands met.
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