Teamsters Rally at Kentucky Fried Restaurants

Union Launches Nationwide Protests Against Slashing of Worker Retirement and Health Benefits by KFC Corn Supplier National Frozen Foods Corporation.

Photo courtesy: uswa329.org

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Teamsters and student activists are rallying today at Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants across the country to demand, "that a key KFC supplier respect the rights of its workers and to urge that the supplier reverse disastrous cuts in health care and retirement benefits, including the elimination of health care benefits for its retirees."

Distributing leaflets drawing attention to what they say are a series of health code violations at local KFCs, the union and its community allies are demanding that Seattle-based National Frozen Foods Corporation cease all anti-worker activities at its plant in Chehalis, Washington.

Protests will take place in Washington D.C., California, Washington State, Oregon, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and at a number of universities throughout the U.S.

"We are determined to get the word out about serious health violations at local KFCs and serious labor conditions at National Frozen Foods Corporation," said Fred Gegare, director of the Teamsters food processing division. "These companies are not going to get away with corporate greed in the 21st century. National Frozen Foods picked this fight because of their greed."

National Frozen Foods Corporation supplies KFC with frozen corn-on-the- cob. Since 2004, National Frozen Foods Corporation has cut worker pay by 16 percent, canceled health care benefits for seasonal workers, and eliminated health care benefits for retirees. These changes have hurt seasonal workers and new employees.

National Frozen Food Corporation has supported two efforts to vote the union out in recent years. The workers defeated these efforts, voting to stay with their union, Teamsters Local 252. In July, the Company cut off negotiations with the union and terminated their contract with workers in violation of U.S. labor law.

"We are asking KFC to honor their moral responsibility to their customers by insuring that KFC suppliers respect U.S. workers fighting to provide a decent living for their families," said Gegare. "We will continue to alert KFC customers to both KFC's health violations and its failure to address NFFC's mistreatment of American workers until these problems are fixed."

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada. Kentucky Fried Chicken operations in Salem have closed in recent months.