The Kellogg's Strike Is Finally Over

ICYMI, Kellogg's cereal plant workers went on strike in early October, with approximately 1,400 unionized workers at factories across the United States calling for improved job protections, vacation and holiday pay, and health benefits. Due to subsequently slowed operations in plants in Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania, the cereal giant responsible for beloved brands such as Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes actually had to start importing products from Europe and Latin America to keep up with Stateside demand, reports Eat This, Not That.

Earlier this month, news arose that the strike might end as Kellogg's executives presented strikers with an updated agreement for five-year labor contracts. But, per Reuters, the offer failed, with the majority of striking workers voting against the company's proposal. As a result of the ongoing strike — which, at more than two months, was one of the longest-running strikes of the year, says The Washington Post — shares of Kellogg's stock dipped 5%, according to CNN. And today, the strike is coming to an end.

Over the past couple of months of this high-stakes strike, tensions have run high between members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) and the cereal mega-giant Kellogg's. Seeking increased wages and more expansive benefits, the striking workers held out for better terms when Kellogg's offered an updated five-year labor contract earlier this month — and continued to do so even when the company threatened to permanently replace them afterward, according to The Washington Post.

The strike came to an end earlier today, when it was reported that the striking employees agreed to accept a tentative agreement proposed by Kellogg's last week. The new five-year contract includes wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments, plus expanded healthcare and retirement benefits. It also enables a pathway for newer employees to reach the company's coveted "legacy" wage and benefit status, poised in response to concerns that some workers had about an unfairly tiered workforce. Anthony Shelton, president of the BCTGM, praised the workers who "courageously stood their ground and sacrificed so much in order to achieve a fair contract." In support of the better terms, we think we'll pour ourselves an extra-large bowl of Frosted Flakes.