How President Biden Really Feels About The Kellogg Worker Strike
These are crazy times. The COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout have led to seismic shifts everywhere, from sea to shining sea, in almost every facet of our American existence. One of the repercussions has been the effect it has had on businesses that are struggling with a very real labor shortage, per CNBC. The American worker has seen a rise in stature, and many are looking to regain some of the footing they lost in the last 50 years, when the middle class, according to the Pew Research Center, shrank by 10%, and their share of aggregate income fell by nearly 20%. Union membership also fell precipitously in that period, according to NPR, which reports an over 20% drop in U.S. worker participation.
President Biden has been very vocal about his support of the middle class, and unions. In a statement he gave on Labor Day this year, he said that America "was built by the middle class, and unions built the middle class." One such union, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, is supporting its 1400 members' strike at four Kellog processing plants.
The Kellogg workers, who've been marching the picket line since October 5, 2021, are reportedly in opposition to the continuance of the company's two-tiered wage and benefit system, which creates a large compensation disparity between longtime "legacy" employees, and newer "transitional" employees. Following the union's refusal of the latest contract offer, Kellogg announced it would hire permanent replacements for the striking workers. No surprise, the President is not happy about the development.
President Biden: 'Unions built the middle class of this country'
In a recently released statement from the White House, President Biden called Kellogg's move "an existential attack on the union and its members' jobs and livelihoods." The statement continued, "Collective bargaining is an essential tool to protect the rights of workers that should be free from threats and intimidation from employers. That's why I am deeply troubled by reports of Kellogg's plans to permanently replace striking workers... I have long opposed permanent striker replacements and I strongly support legislation that would ban the practice."
President Biden is not alone in his support of the beleaguered workers. Social media loves a good fight, and the response from Tik-Tockers and Redditors, among others, was swift, per The Independent, as coordinated campaigns to flood the Kellogg's employment portal with fictitious applicants has jammed the system.
President Biden also added in his statement, "Unions built the middle class of this country. My unyielding support for unions includes support for collective bargaining, and I will aggressively defend both."
We know that our labor-loving president is many things, but an accomplished cook is not one of them. While the POTUS and the first lady do prepare their own breakfasts, which often entails pouring cereal into a bowl, it's probably safe to say Tony the Tiger — or any other Kelloggs branded products — are making a morning appearance at the White House of late.