Ingredion union leader: Strike resolution not likely before year’s end

Barring an unexpected breakthrough, it now appears that 2022 will end without resolution of a strike pitting Ingredion against its labor union employees in Cedar Rapids. While progress has been made in several key areas, the local leader of the union representing striking Ingredion workers in Cedar Rapids says he doesn’t expect the strike to be resolved before year’s end. Mike Moore, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 100-G chapter, said no formal talks have been held with Ingredion since the two sides last met for face-to-face negotiations Nov. 29 and Dec. 2. And no further talks are currently scheduled between the two sides, according to Mr. Moore and Ingredion spokesperson Becca Hary. “I was hoping to have people going back in before Christmas,” Mr. Moore said. “But I really don't know what we're gonna get back to the table. It's up to (ingredion).” The plant, which manufactures sweeteners, starches, nutrition ingredients and other biomaterials from corn and traces its Cedar Rapids roots to the founding of Douglas Starch Works in 1903, has continued to operate with temporary replacement workers since the strike began. For their part, Ingredion officials sent packets to union workers Dec. 13 via UPS, outlining updates to the company’s offer to employees. The offer “incorporated feedback from the union and included numerous adjustments to our previous proposals and achieved many mutually beneficial items,” according to a company statement. Among the adjustments cited by Ingredion, based on the latest negotiations: Annual increases ranging from 3.5% to 7.4% for all employees, with about 80% in the form of pay increases and the remaining 20% as a lump-sum amount; elimination of the two-tier wage structure, addressing “a major request from the union”; new positions with growth opportunities; and an enhanced health care package with wellness incentives and other coverage improvements. Mr. Moore acknowledged the negotiations in early November produced “a lot of progress,” but described the packets mailed to union members as a “scare tactic.” “The company’s negotiating team is accusing the union of not communicating with the members,” Mr. Moore said. “There are some things that happen in negotiations that I can’t tell my members because they’re still in the works. But anytime negotiation is done, I either put up a posting or my committee goes down and hits every shift to tell people where we're at and what has happened.” A few key issues remain unresolved between the two sides, Mr. Moore said, including scheduling changes that would eliminate the third-shift maintenance crew, a reduction in overall vacation time, and the company’s unwillingness to guarantee “amnesty” to union workers based on issues that have arisen since the strike began Aug. 1. “We're damn close to ending this thing and bringing people back to work,” he said. “But we have these three bumps in the road that need to be taken care of so we can come to some sort of agreement and start sending people back to work.” Mr. Moore said striking union workers’ morale is high overall, and noted the local union has received support recently from unions in North Carolina, Kentucky and California. Striking workers continue to receive a stipend from the national union, and a holiday bonus has been added as well to help ease workers’ financial stress. He acknowledged, however, that at least 30 to 40 workers have chosen to take other jobs as the strike reaches the end of its fifth month. Those workers remaining on strike, he said, are maintaining their resolve and continue to push for a resolution of outstanding issues. “The union will sit down anytime, anyplace that the company wants to sit down,” he said. In their official statement, Ingredion leaders struck a similar tone. “Ingredion stands ready to further our discussions with the objective of reaching an agreement that is fair and allows for the opportunity to sustainably build on the facility’s proud 128-year history,” the statement reads.