It's certainly a case of a good news and bad news on the labor front recently.
We're goona start with the bad, and the bad is very much Kellogg.
So which decided that after 1400 of their striking workers turned down a proposed
deal, they decided, yeah, this negotiation thing has been real in all.
But let's just get rid of all of those people and hire on replacement workers.
And that apparently is what they're choosing to do.
Since October, these workers have been striking in four different cities,
and largely there's a number of different reasons,
including being massively overworked during the pandemic.
But in particular, for the last six years there's been what's called a two-tier
employment system, where there's different levels of benefits for
people who've been around for different periods of time.
The proposed deal that came about after about two months of these
employees striking, would have revised that system but wouldn't
actually have gotten rid of it, which is what these employers were working towards.
So the workers turned down the deal.
I believe, we have a little bit of video demonstrating this.
>> That's why we are striking cuz we want the better pay, pension for everybody.
It's not for only one group.
>> I have this job because people like my dad, they worked here before me for
34 years, didn't give up stuff coming up.
>> Exactly, and so they want to continue to push.
I mean, this is the process of how strikes work.
It's not, you get one choice and then that's it, one deal and then that's it.
But that's what Kellogg wants.
They know that these workers are willing to strike for longer.
They've got the the durability to push for a better deal, and
they wanna just end the process right now.
Francesca, why don't we start with you?
What did you think about Kellogg's move to fire all these people?
>> I mean, It's not surprising to me at all.
And it is a moment though, because to make this move in a time of increased worker
power and increased consciousness among blue collar workers around this country.
And the factory jobs that are left in this country, it's bold, right?
And it shows that Kellogg's thinks that they can get away with it.
It's no money, it's no sweat off their backs.
They can take the heat, they can take the negative press,
cuz John had it rolling, he needs his pop tarts.
And so you got to keep the ovens cracking.
[LAUGH] Does that get you there, buddy?
You got a boycott.
>> Well, what you don't know is,
I announced earlier this week that I was boycotting pop tarts, so
you're a little bit behind the news cycle there, Francesca.
Now, people at my job had been taking the Pop-Tarts that were still around and
leaving them around for me to try to break my resolve, but like the workers,
I am going to be strong.
>> [LAUGH] >> You will not be broken.
>> [LAUGH] I'm trying not to.
>> But yes, I mean, it is a heartless move, and we'll see what happens, right?
Like public opinion, and this is the thing, our mainstream outlet's gonna be
covering this, or they gonna be talking to the workers?
More perfect union, just hats off to them for covering strike after strike, and
just doing incredible work on the ground.
I would like to see that from mainstream outlets, more of them, right?
>> Yeah, Lenah?
>> Yeah, Francesca is right, it's definitely heartless.
I love the whole offer one and one for all mentality is what the work,
as John Deere did, is they held out that two-tier.
Workers with more seniority caring about the type of wages and
benefits that the workers that are working by their side and
who come right after them will have into the future.
That is what true solidarity and leadership looks like, and
you don't want to see the federal government jump up in here.
You know what?
Them school breakfast is Kellogg's, the products, the Tony the Tiger,
the crackers and all that, guess what?
We will not be purchasing any more of your products until you do right by
these workers.
See, there's always more than one way to skin a cat.
Let's start taking the public contracts away from
them- >> Yes.
>> They wanna treat workers like that,
these workers have children in the schools,
in the very schools that serve oftentimes these cereals for breakfast.
So, yeah, let's deal with them, no more public contracts.
>> That's a great point, and during the break we were joking about
having an actual progressive president for once.
Imagine the effect it would have on the labor movement,
that if Bernie Sanders was president, he would do what Obama said he was gonna do.
Was put on his marching shoes and stand on the picket line, but Bernie does do that.
Members of squad do that,
they're supportive right now of unionization efforts.
>> That's it, I definitely have to jump on.
I mean being with the Senator for both of his presidential candidacies,
he definitely has been on the picket, even before he started running for president.
Let's be clear, check the receipts.
He was on the picket lines with the workers.
But certainly, during 2016 and 2020,
the Senator never failed to be on the picket line but workers had been on.
I mean, the senator went down the Bessemer, Alabama, for example, so
that people like Congresswoman Cory Bush, other members of the squad.
People like our dear friend Michael Rinder, Killer Mike, Mr. Glover, Dr.
Cornel West.
You all see the pattern?
We're naming either progressive activists or progressive thought leaders, or
progressive elected officials, that is the pattern.
And yeah, the Senator would be right there as president by their side.
Nothing shake, and your Cenk and I talked about this the other last night on
the Power Hour, come with power panel Power Hour.
But some of the things that can be done, and one of the things is hey,
CEO Kellogg, I'm about to have a press conference.
Now, either you will be there as the hero or the villain.
Cenk and I were talking about that last night about some other group of people,
the same playbook.
You call these folks up.
You're hurting American workers.
You're hurting the workers.
You're hurting my agenda.
You're hurting the people that I was elected to serve.
So I tell you what, about that press conference?
Either you're gonna be the hero, you're gonna be the villain, which one you want?
I'm giving you a chance.
>> Yeah.
>> It's interesting too, because I feel like on unions,
Biden is actually not as far to the right as he is on other issues, right?
As he might be on student loan debt or he might be on raising corporate taxes.
It seems like something like the pro-act out of all the things we need to
pass might have more of a chance, and I'm not holding my breath at all.
But the President's statement when the Bessemer Alabama vote was
coming down in the Amazon factory warehouse,
was really surprising actually, and did make an impact.
And I think we have to look for those openings even though we're sort of
greeted with a wall of status quo-ness right now.
And I think that one of those openings could be around labor.
And I think that the NLRB is starting to make calls that are much more progressive.
Looking at the head, Lauren McFerrin is the head of it right now.
She's been promoted from within, but she was appointed by Obama and
she's doing some good stuff.
So it's like that's the kinda moves.
Remember, these folks are all appointed by the president.
That's I think where we could see some more progressive movement hopefully from
this president.