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Crystal Sugar workers need your support to save their jobs

Working families in the Midwest are under attack again. Union workers of American Crystal Sugar in Minnesota, North Dakota and Iowa, represented by the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco and Grain Millers Union (BCTGM), have been locked out of their jobs. Replacement workers have been brought in. 

BCTGM members rejected a contract offer from American Crystal Sugar that would significantly increase their health care costs and allow the employer to contract out their work at will. Allowing sub-contracting would allow the employer, Crystal Sugar, to eliminate numerous good-paying union jobs for low-paid subcontractors.

This is only the latest incident in which we are seeing good-paying union jobs disappear for low-paying jobs with no health care and benefits. As fellow unionists, we need to help these working families take a stand.

Join the locked-out workers on the picket line
Please consider joining the locked-out workers on the picket line for an hour or two a week. This lockout is expected to go on for several weeks, if not months. If possible, we’d like our locals to "adopt a day" on the picket line each week. This effort is critical for us to not only show our solidarity with our union brothers and sisters, but also to boost the morale of the picketers.

In addition, you can make donations to help the Crystal Sugar workers. Send contributions to:
Minnesota AFL-CIO
175 Aurora Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55103
(Write “BCTGM Lockout 2011” in the memo line of the check.)

Contact Jim Meyer in Public Affairs at 800-652-9073, ext. 4813, if your local could adopt a picket day or you have additional questions.

Below is a schedule of dates and times for picketing:

August 30, 2011