Kellogg's is getting around organized labor efforts by 'pre-hiring for strike replacement workers' that will 'cross the picket line,' job ad says

• About 1,400 Kellogg's workers have orchestrated a strike to demand better pay and benefits.
• The company posted an ad looking for "replacement" hires in an effort to continue production.

Kellogg's responded to its striking employees by "Pre-Hiring for Strike Replacement Workers" who will "cross the picket the line," according to a job listing posted on Indeed this week.

The ad follows a walk out staged by approximately 1,400 Kellogg's employees who went on strike on October 6 to demand better pay and benefits after a year of negotiations, according to CNN.

"For more than a year throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Kellogg workers around the country have been working long, hard hours, day in and day out, to produce Kellogg ready-to-eat cereals for American families," Anthony Shelton, the president of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, said in a statement this week.

"Kellogg's response to these loyal, hardworking employees has been to demand these workers give up quality health care, retirement benefits, and holiday and vacation pay. The company continues to threaten to send additional jobs to Mexico if workers do not accept outrageous proposals that take away protections that workers have had for decades," he said.

On October 11, Kellogg's posted a job ad on Indeed that reads: "The Unions representing Kellogg's employees in these plants are on strike, and we are looking for employees to cross the picket the line and join hundreds of Kellogg salaried employees, hourly employees, and contractors to keep the lines running during the strike."

Kellogg's did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In a statement to FOX Business, Kellogg's denied the Union's characterization of the situation: "Our proposals have been grossly misrepresented by the Union in statements to their membership and to media, and we want our employees to have all the information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families."

"Kellogg provides compensation and benefits for our US [ready to eat cereal] employees that are among the industry's best," Kellogg's spokesperson Kris Bahner told CNN. "Our offer includes increases to pay and benefits for our employees, while helping us meet the challenges of the changing cereal business."

This strike is just one of many occurring in the US, including a strike by 10,000 John Deere employees and a potential Hollywood strike by the 60,000-member International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees union. Some have started referring to the latest organized labor wave as #Striketober, BBC News reported.