U.S. Labor Board Issues Complaint Against Kellogg

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WWJ/AP) - The National Labor Relations Board has issued a complaint against Michigan-based Kellogg Co. related to a lockout of around 225 employees at its Memphis facility.

In a news release, the board says Kellogg violated the National Labor Relations Act by insisting on an impasse on bargaining proposals related to wages and benefits and by locking out the workers "in furtherance of its bad-faith bargaining position."

The complaint says Kellogg failed to provide requested information that would help the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union assess Kellogg's bargaining proposals.

"Under the NLRA, an employer has an obligation to bargain in good faith with respect to wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment," the board said in the release. "The law requires that, when a collective-bargaining agreement (CBA) is in effect and an employer seeks to modify the terms and conditions contained in the CBA, the employer must obtain the union's consent before implementing such changes."

[View a copy of the complaint]

The complaint comes five months after contract negotiations between the company and the union broke down. Workers have picketed outside the plant since then.

A hearing is scheduled for May 5, at 9 a.m. at the NLRB Regional Office  in Memphis, Tenn.

Kellogg is based in Battle Creek, Mich.

Get more details about the case HERE.

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