Hunter
09/15/22
The Cedar Rapids City Council is calling for the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union and multinational ingredient maker Ingredion sit down and settle their strike.
According to its website, Ingredion makes sweeteners, starches, nutrition ingredients and biomaterials that are used by customers in everyday products ranging from foods and beverages to paper and pharmaceuticals.
The strike is in its sixth week, with the union fighting over health care benefits, wages, overtime pay, and retaining the five union laboratory positions Ingredion plans to eliminate.
Ingredion stated in a full-page advertisement in Monday’s Gazette it “stands ready” to continue talks. The City Council submitted a guest column that is in today’s edition of the paper, asking the two sides to put aside their differences and, quote, “negotiate professionally and ethically to do what is in the best interest of our community, and that is to get back to work.”
127 hourly union employees and 46 salaried non-union employees work at the Cedar Rapids facility.
Mike Moore is the president of the local union representing the workers; he says they have call scheduled today between the two sides about restarting discussions.