Unionized Kellogg’s workers in four states have approved a new five-year contract, ending one of the longest-running strikes of 2021.

Employees in four states voted to accept the tentative agreement reached last week, according to company and union representatives. The five-year contract includes across-the-board wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments, as well as expanded health care and retirement benefits. It also provides a pathway for newer employees to reach the company’s coveted “legacy” wage and benefit status, partially addressing a concerns that many workers had about a two-tiered workforce.

Anthony Shelton, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, lauded the strikers who “courageously stood their ground and sacrificed so much in order to achieve a fair contract.” He emphasized that the deal “does not include any concessions.”

Kellogg’s chief executive, Steve Cahillane, was pleased that the offer – one of at least seven the company cobbled together over the course of negotiations – will bring employees back to work. “We look forward to [employees’] return and continuing to produce our beloved cereal brands for our customers and consumers,” he said in a statement.... Read More: Washington Post