News & Updates from across the RWDSU…
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A 20 percent general wage increase and $1,500 ratification bonus are among the highlights of a new four-year contract for Local 110 members at Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The contract, ratified on November 1, also brings significant improvement to new hire vacation schedules as well as increased starting pay for new hires.
This morning, a delegation of RWDSU Local 110 members delivered food and supplies in support of UAW union members on strike at John Deere. The donation included packages of diapers, hand warmers, toiletries, food, frozen meat as well as cases of cereal and snacks made by RWDSU Local 110 members at General Mills and Quaker in nearby Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“Governor Kim Reynolds’ response to Hurricane Derecho is failing our members in Iowa. Hundreds of hard working men and women who manufacture food that has been critically needed during the COVID-19 pandemic – at iconic American food brands like Quaker Oats, General Mills, and Cole’s Quality Foods – are living in a war zone. It is outrageous that it took Governor Reynolds nearly a week to call in the National Guard when we know it will take weeks and months to recover. Too many Iowans are suffering and it is not acceptable that they are living without electricity, many are unable to go work, downed trees block roads for families to get badly needed essential supplies – it’s horrific,” said Stuart Appelbaum, President of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU).
Today, Local 110 of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), announced that over 500 workers at the General Mills processing plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa have ratified their first union contract. The worker-led negotiation committee worked tirelessly to secure a strong contract that stops the bleed out of long-held needed benefits. The workers in the bargaining unit handle production and maintenance at the facility.
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