Hundreds of workers in Topeka, Kansas, ended a 20-day strike on Saturday after reaching a deal with executives at Frito-Lay, one of the country’s top snack producers.
The company has vowed to grant people a “guaranteed day off” during each week, offer employees a 4% pay raise, and eliminate “squeeze shifts,” which refer to eight-hour workdays coupled with four hours of overtime. Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ International Union Local 218, the workers union, praised the accord and lauded a “victory.”
“BCTGM Local 218 members employed at Frito Lay in Topeka, Kansas have shown the world that union working people can stand up against the largest food companies in the world and claim victory for themselves, their families and their communities,” the union said in a statement. “More than 600 BCTGM members hit the streets in a fight for a better quality of life and to have a voice over how many hours in a week they can be forced to work.”
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“This fight resonated across country and around the world and the out-pouring of support for our brave union members in Topeka was overwhelming,” the group added. “Labor unions, community allies, politicians, concerned citizens and the religious community all played a part in this historic victory.”
On July 5, 550 of the 850 manufacturing and warehouse employees at the plant refused to work after claiming the conditions were dismal and wages were plummeting. Four days prior to the strike, Frito-Lay offered a 4% pay raise, eliminated the “squeeze shifts,” and capped workweeks at 60 hours, though the offer was not accepted by BCTGM.
Frito-Lay, in its Saturday statement, insisted its July 1 proposal “addressed” the “concerns” from the union “appropriately,” though the company conceded and added new requests from demonstrators.
“We believe our approach to resolving this strike demonstrates how we listen to our employees, and when concerns are raised, they are taken seriously and addressed,” Frito-Lay said. “Looking ahead, we look forward to continuing to build on what we have accomplished together based on mutual trust and respect.”
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Days prior, the company indicated claims from the union pertaining to overtime were “grossly exaggerated.”
“Out of approximately 850 employees in Topeka, only 20 – approximately 2 percent – averaged over 60 hours per week,” the organization said. “Our records indicate 19 employees worked 84 hours in a given work week in 2021, with 16 of those as a result of employees volunteering for overtime and only 3 being required to work. The total number of work weeks at 84 hours is less than .1% of the total for the site. With the overtime restrictions we proposed and were recommending, this would be 0% in the future had the contract Frito-Lay presented been ratified.”
