As of this morning, workers at Ingredion, in Cedar Rapids, have voted it's time for a change. The Ingredion plant is located on First St SW and as early as this afternoon, if you were driving around that area, you might've seen the beginnings of people picketing and walking with their signs.

According to KCRG, there was a contract offered from Ingredion this morning which was rejected by union representatives. Ingredion workers are looking to negotiate pay and benefits, along with better health coverage.

According to Ingredion's website, they are "a leading global ingredients solutions company." They make everything from sweeteners, starches, nutrition ingredients, and biomaterials that are used by customers in foods and beverages we use every day.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were on strike from your job? I haven't ever been in that situation but I remember my mom being on strike once when I was growing up and it can be a difficult and scary time for workers and families. I remember going downtown with her and walking carrying a sign and having no clue what I was doing there. I might've been 6 years old at the time. At 31 years old... the stress of the entire thing would be enough to send me over the edge.

It can be really hard to continue living your normal life when someone isn't sure when their next paycheck is coming. Hopefully, these workers and their union have some type of fund set up to continue to give these employees some kind of income for however long the strike lasts.

For the most part, I'll always find myself on the side of the employees. If they believe they deserve better pay and better health coverage then I believe they should fight for it. Hopefully, the workers, the union, and Ingredion can come to a speedy solution that is fair for everyone involved.

Ingredion did release a statement and according to KCRG they said

The contract with the union in our Cedar Rapids facility expired on August 1, 2022. To date, we have not reached an agreement and the union has placed us on notice of their intention to engage in a work stoppage effective today. Our goal has always been to provide our team members with very competitive wages and a comprehensive benefits package. While our team assumes operations of the Cedar Rapids facility, there may be temporary facility stoppages. We have enacted our business continuity plan and we will continue to operate the facility and fulfill our customers’ orders.

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