Employees at Topeka's Frito Lay plant voted Saturday to reject a proposed labor contract with the company, paving the way for a strike to begin on Monday.þþWhile workers had previously voted to go on strike last week, negotiations between Local 218 of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union and PepsiCo, Frito Lay's parent company, had continued in a bid to reach a deal.þþUnion leadership and management reached a tentative, two-year deal this week but roughly 400 of its members voted it down after two days of voting, which culminated Saturday. þþUnion members have criticized the company for working conditions at the plant and have pressed for a pay hike in their next deal.þþMark Benaka, business manager for Local 218, said the vote was ÿoverwhelmingÿ in its opposition to the proposed deal, which would have brought a 2% pay raise, as well as limits on mandatory overtime, among other items.þþWhile Benaka noted management had come around on the overtime element after initial opposition, he said members likely felt the wage package was not sufficient as they voted against the offer.þþMark Benaka, business manager for Local 218, said the vote was ÿoverwhelmingÿ in its opposition to the proposed deal, which would have brought a 2% pay raise, as well as limits on mandatory overtime, among other items.þþWhile Benaka noted management had come around on the overtime element after initial opposition, he said members likely felt the wage package was not sufficient as they voted against the offer.þþþÿIt was very decisive,ÿ Benaka said. ÿIt is obvious we're far apart on the discretions forced on employees over the last ten years. Basically, they're not going to take it anymore.ÿþþBenaka said last month it would be the first time since the union was started in 1973 that a strike will take place.þþWorkers had been operating under a two-year agreement which ran out in September of 2020 and was extended through Sunday.þþIn a statement, PepsiCo argued it had worked to meet the demands of workers and committed to fully continue operations at the plant in light of the strike.þþÿThat the union membership rejected this fully recommended agreement suggests union leadership is out of touch with the sentiments of Frito-Lay employees,ÿ the statement said. ÿBecause the union had fully recommended our tentative agreement, we do not anticipate any further negotiations with the union for the foreseeable future.ÿ þþAccording to John Nave, executive vice president of Kansas AFL-CIO, the state's labor federation, a strike is the last thing workers want when negotiating union contracts. He expected donations from the community and other labor unions throughout the state as the strike date nears.þþÿIt's kind of like the last line of defense,ÿ Nave said. ÿAnd that's a hard decision because it affects many, many people. Union members don't want to do that. ... But when the company fails to do a fair negotiation at the bargaining table — and history has shown (Frito-Lay has) repeatedly failed to do that — then there's no other alternative.ÿþþPepsiCo's seven divisions include Frito-Lay, one of the largest snack-selling companies in the U.S., whose Topeka plant is at 4236 S.W. Kirklawn Ave.
Source: cjonline.com
