Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union
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| Full name | Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union |
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| Founded | 1886 |
| Members | 100,000 |
| Country | United States, Canada |
| Affiliation | AFL-CIO, CLC |
| Key people | Frank Hurt, president |
| Office location | Kensington, Maryland, United States |
| Website | www.bctgm.org |
The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union (BCTGM) is a labor union in the United States and Canada. It has a membership of 100,000. The union includes workers in bakeries, candy, cereal, sugar, grain mills, tobacco plants, food processing and manufacturing facilities and other related occupations related to these industries.
The union traces its history to the founding of the Journeymen Bakers Union in 1886. The contemporary BCTGM was formed in January, 1999 from the merger of the Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers' International Union and the American Federation of Grain Millers.
The BCTGM is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, the Canadian Labour Congress and the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF).
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[edit] History
The predecessors of today's BCTGM include the Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union of America. The B&C began as the Journeymen's Bakers Union, organized in 1886 in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1957, the American Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union was formed. In 1969, the two organizations united under the B&C banner.
The Tobacco Workers International Union was founded in 1895. As it and the Bakery and Confectionery Workers International Union of America shared many common goals, both organizations merged in 1978, creating the Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers (BCT).
The American Federation of Grain Millers (AFGM) also has roots stemming back to the 1800s. In 1936, the National Council of Grain Processors was formed when a number of smaller grain milling unions agreed to unite as a national union under the banner of the American Federation of Labor, one of the early umbrella organizations for labor unions. In 1941, the council was renamed the American Federation of Grain Processors and in 1948 was reorganized as the AFGM. Shared goals and shared industries led to the January 1, 1999 merger between the BCT and AFGM, creating the modern BCTGM.
Because the predecessors of BCTGM organized workers in the U.S. and Canada, they included the word “International” in their name.
[edit] Strikes
On August 26, 2000, approximately 680 BCTGM workers began a strike against The Earthgrains Company (now a subsidiary of Sara Lee Corporation) at a plant in Fort Payne, Alabama. The strike was brought in part to protest mandatory overtime and few days off[1]. By August 31, 2000, the strike had spread to five other bakeries in Memphis and Chattanooga, Tennessee; Atlanta and Forest Park, Georgia; and Mobile, Alabama where worker contracts had expired. At this time, around 1,565 workers were involved.[2] By September 6, the strike had expanded to eight more plants. Around 2,700 workers were involved, a total of 12% of Earthgrains' workforce.[1] The strike eventually grew to a maximum of 27 bakeries before it was ended with the ratification of a new contract at Fort Payne on September 22.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Earthgrains Says More Workers Join Sympathy Strike". New York Times 8/6/2000. http://0-find.galegroup.com.libcat.ferris.edu:80/itx/start.do?prodId=ITOF. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ^ "Earthgrains Strike in Southern States Expands". New York Times 7/31/00. http://0-find.galegroup.com.libcat.ferris.edu:80/itx/start.do?prodId=ITOF. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ^ "Earthgrains Quarterly Report". Securities & Exchange Commission 9/12/00. http://www.secinfo.com/dr671.5f89c.htm. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
[edit] External links
- BCTGM official site.
[edit] External references
- Stuart B. Kaufman. Challenge & Change: The History of the Tobacco Workers International Union. University of Illinois Press. 1987. ISBN 0252014219.
- Stuart B. Kaufman. A Vision of Unity: The History of the Bakery & Confectionery Workers International (Labor) Union. University of Illinois Press. 1987. ISBN 0252014235.
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