(CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa) – Today, hundreds of Teamsters Local 238 members, allied trade unionists, and elected officials, rallied in support of Teamsters at Cargill’s corn milling plant in Cedar Rapids who have been forced on strike since last week. The union and the company, the largest privately held corporation in the world, entered into federal mediation yesterday.
“It’s shameful when billionaires argue over nickels and dimes,” said Jesse Case, Secretary-Treasurer of Local 238 and Teamsters Food Processing Division Director. “The longer the strike goes on the more the Cargill cartel will be exposed.”
Cargill raked in $177 billion last year, but the agribusiness giant refuses to offer the 100 workers at the plant wages that are commensurate with the cost of living or on par with the same jobs at other corn milling facilities in Cedar Rapids.
“This strike isn’t just about money,” said Joe Kirchhoff, a Local 238 member in the Instrumentation Department. “It’s about respect. It’s about being treated like the human beings who keep this place running—not pawns to be moved around. We’re out here because we deserve better, and we’re not backing down until we get it.”
“Instead of planning for the future we deserve, we are working harder than ever to line the pockets of a billionaire family that sees us as nothing but numbers on a spreadsheet,” said Vicki Lee, a Local 238 member with 22 years of service at Cargill. “Enough is enough. It’s time Cargill start treating us with the respect we have all earned.”
Teamsters Local 238 represents thousands of hardworking men and women throughout Iowa. For more information, go to teamsters238.com/.
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