General Mills and the union representing 520 workers at its plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said Friday they reached a tentative deal on a new contract.
General Mills, workers at Cedar Rapids plant agree on a new contract
The deal came just two days after workers rejected an earlier offer from the company.
November 9, 2019 at 3:23AM
The agreement came after workers on Wednesday voted to reject the company's previous offer. Union leaders cited inadequate protections on scheduling the use of third-party contractors for the rejection.
The workers will vote on the new deal Thursday, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union Local 110 and the company said.
"Not a single one of our union members at General Mills ever wanted to walk out of the facility and go on strike," Roger Grobstich, a union vice president, said in a statement. "They were pushed to the edge by a company that has for far too long been slowly stripping away their long-held needed benefits."
The union said it would release further details about the agreement in coming days. Its negotiations committee said it expected the deal would be approved.
The negotiation was the first one that the union local conducted with General Mills. Employees at the plant voted in January to join the union. In recent weeks, the same union negotiated a new contract for its members at a Quaker Oats cereal plant in Cedar Rapids.
Workers at the General Mills facility produce several varieties of Cheerios, Lucky Charms fruit snacks and Betty Crocker frosting.
Evan Ramstad • 612-673-4241
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