Kellogg and Cereal Workers Union Set to Resume Talks on Monday

(Bloomberg) -- Kellogg Co. and the union representing about 1,400 workers are set to resume negotiations on Monday in Chicago, seeking to resolve a six-week standoff that has forced the company to turn to imports to keep up supply.

“I fully expect a fair and equitable contract for all of our members,” said Dan Osborn, president of the Omaha, Nebraska chapter of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. In a statement on its website, Kellogg said it was hopeful an agreement could be reached.

The U.S. plants affected by the strike are being operated by a combination of replacement workers and salaried staff. The company has been importing cereal from factories abroad to maintain supply during the strike, Chief Executive Officer Steve Cahillane said in an interview in early November.

The company’s roughly 1,400 unionized cereal workers went on strike on October 5. This is the second round of negotiations since then; the talks between the company and the union in early November failed to bring a resolution.

Workers have been on strike at plants in Omaha; Battle Creek, Michigan; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee. The locations produce cereals including Rice Krispies, Raisin Bran, Froot Loops, Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes. 

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