Franz Bakery workers in Springfield voted Nov. 20 to approve a new contract and end their strike after three weeks.
The workers are represented by Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 114. The vote was 113 to 54 to approve the new contract.
The new contract gives workers an immediate $2.50 per hour raise, with $1 raises in years two and three. The highest-paid wage group in the collective bargaining agreement now makes just under $30 per hour.
The raises are better than the union got in previous contract cycles, BCTGM Western Region Vice President Shad Clark said.
Scheduling and safety were negotiating priorities for workers, but workers didn’t win much in those areas, Clark said.
The strike, which started Oct. 31, was the first at the Springfield bakery.
While the strike didn’t get workers the contract they hoped for, it was a valuable learning experience, said Brad Currier, a Franz Bakery sanitation worker and bargaining team member.
“I think a lot of our members believed that if we went through this, brought it to their attention all the way to the top, that they might change some of their behavior and how they treat us. The reality is that’s just not the case,” Currier said.
Currier said when the next round of contract negotiations start, union leaders will work to prepare for a strike and encourage workers to get “financially fortified” for the loss of income.
Members received $275 per week in strike pay.
“We’re going to be a lot more vigilant on how managers are treating us, (and) be a lot more sensitive to pushing back on harassment,” Clark said.
Some workers were back on the job days after the strike, but others still hadn’t been called back to work as of Dec. 2, Currier said. Franz sent the Labor Press a statement saying the company looks forward to welcoming employees back to the bakery, but did not answer questions about why some workers weren’t yet back at work or when they would return.
