In 1937, the Bakery & Confectionary Workers International Union of America organized the workers at the candy factory then known as the Paul F. A long road of history took place until workers were organized and a local union had been chartered. Beich started making chocolate and confections in downtown Bloomington in 1854. 40 years later Milton Hershey would move his Chicago plant down to Blooming
ton in 1894 and named it, The Western Branch of the Lancaster Carmel Company. The old building had four floors and a basement. Beich and Otto Buffe would eventually take over the plant from Hershey in 1900. Beich would also own and run a facility in Chicago from 1912 – 1939. In 1903 Mr. Beich purchased Otto Buffe’s interest in the factory. In 1905 the Paul F. Beich Co. was incorporated. At that time, most products were being produced during the cooler months of the year because there was lack of air conditioning back in those earlier days. Dairy farms were more predominant the farther south you went. That made it a lot easier to get milk and butter. Some of the earliest products to be made were Whiz Bars, Katydids, Laffy Taffy, Dipsey Doodle Bars, Green Mints, Bit-O-Honey and Golden Crumbles. Work was hard, hot and very inconsistent. The candy and confection business and operations would stay in the hands of the Beich until Nestle took over operations in 1984. Between 1937 and 1941 some estimated 7 to 9 million American workers became to belong to some union organization. Originally named the Journeymen’s Bakery Union, The Bakery & Confectionary Workers International Union of America was formed in 1886. The first people to join were small shop bakers and chimney sweepers. The first official meeting of B&C Local 342 was held on April 19th 1937. The union voted to affiliate with the State Federation of Labor and Trades Assembly. On April 26th1937 the union gave the company a contract proposal. On April 27th, 1937 the predominantly woman dominated, voted to go on strike if an agreement wasn’t made within 24 hours. April 29th 1937, workers walked off their jobs during production. Workers wanted a fair contract and a closed shop. Workers were fed up with 25-30 cent wages and fed up with irregular hours of work. The original workforce would wind up splitting up into 4 different unions by craft. All being under one roof in one shop together. They would be The Bakery & Confection Workers International Union Local 342, Machinist Lodge 1000, Teamsters Local 26 and Stationary Engineers Local 399. The first contract was reached between the Paul F. and B&C Local 342 on May13th 1937 and was only for 5 months. Otto G. Beich, who was at the time a delegate to the United States Chamber of Commerce, was Beich’s company president now. The wages that were negotiated were 35 and .45 per hour with .01 increase for all employees, to be added for five consecutive months. At the end of those five months, the company and the union worked on but could not reach an agreement on the next contract. On December 11th 1937, 300+ workers walked out a second time due to failed negotiations. The
company wanted to cut wages by 20 % and abolish the union totally. There were
many issues at hand but these were the major two. The workers took a stand as
one, as a union. The union workers rejected that offer on December 30th1937, as they would also do with offers on January 18th and January 26th 1938. During the strike the workers did well histories things such as redirecting mail, cutting phone lines, laying on and block the rail road tracks that run next the plant. That was the only way the company could move things in and out of the plant in those days. The company had even went as far as to putting out a help wanted ad on January 18th 1938, to hire new help in avoidance of a new union contract. Nobody applied for any position, because a picket line holding hands prevented people from entering the plant. On February 3rd 1938 an agreement was reached. The new contract contained wages for women earning .37 per hour and men earning .50 per hour with a 44 hour work week, an arbitration process and union shop recognition. The company and the union also went on to negotiate many contracts and never went on strike nor had any sort of work stoppage again until March of 1988. In 1952 Beich entered the fundraising business. The Kathryn Beich Fundraising division is born. Many organizations sold many different products. Many of these
fundraising products were made in Bloomington. Katydids and
Krunch/Caramel/Almond bars are just a few to name. Schools, sports leagues and youth groups would be popular annual sellers of fundraising products. The name Kathryn will forever live on in infamy. Not a lot was going on with the B&C Local 342 during the middle of the century
but Beich was producing the candy. That kept workers working. The government
contracted with Beich’s to develop and produce survival bars with a shelf life
saving wrapper for survival kits that men and women, serving in our countries
armed forces, lived on. We helped fight World War II, and wars in Korea and
Vietnam. NASA astronauts even took rations made by our union brothers and
sisters into space. On May 13th 1965, ground was broken for our existing plant that is to be built on Bloomington’s southwest side. On January 1st1967 production started at the new factory located at 2501 Beich Road. An open house was held two years later from the groundbreaking date. 2,500 visitors came to the open house. By 1974 all of the production had been transferred to the new plant. A new era of production was about to begin. Nestle would eventually by the plant in 1984 and change the name, commonly still called today, to “Nestle Beich”. For years to come the company would give plant tours to different groups and operate a public company store. The plant tours would eventually go by the way side and the company store became an employee only store. In 1969, the Bakery & Confectionary Workers International Union of America and the American Bakery and Confection Workers International Union, which was founded in 1957, would unite together. The merger created the Bakery & Confectionary International Union. B&C Local 342
In August 1978, the Bakery and Confectionery International Union merged with the To***co Workers to form the Bakery, Confectionery and To***co Workers International Union. The To***co Workers International Union was originally formed in 1895. BC&T Local 342
In 1984, William Beich would sell the plant to Nestle. Nestle came about to the world in 1867. Nestle would begin its dominance in the world by buying such core products as Maggi, Stouffer’s, Libby’s, Wonka, Kraft, Dreyer’s and Ge**er. The plant went from being family owned to corporate owned. The new name of the company changed to, Kathryn Beich Inc. a Nestle Co. In 1999, Kathryn Beich and Nestle would split from each other. The new name of the factory would be changed to Nestle USA. Even though the
fundraising offices would leave the plant, Nestle would continue to make certain
fundraising products for a few more years until all fundraising products were
moved elsewhere for production. In 2002 the fundraising business was bought by Lincolnshire Equity Fund II, out of New York in 2002. In 2008 the Kathryn Beich offices in Bloomington closed as the fundraising brands were sold to Great
American Opportunities, which has been in fundraising also since 1855. Aside from the tough times in 1937 and 1938, 1988 was a historical year to remember also. BC&T Local 342, Teamsters Local 26 and Machinists Lodge 1000 went on strike March 10th 1988. Operating Engineers Local 399
settled their contract before the March 10th deadline. The economy had not been all that friendly to industrial workers through the 1970s and the 1980s. Companies started using overseas methods of making products. Many union jobs and union benefits were on the chopping block. At the time of our strike, Eureka Williams, members of Machinists Lodge 1000 were on strike. Firestone workers, members of United Rubber Workers Local 787 had accepted a contract offer after voting to go on strike the day before we struck. Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was a Democratic presidential candidate, joined local workers at a “Jobs With Justice” rally on March 14th at Machinists Lodge 1000. Issues that made our Local vote to strike included sympathy strike clauses, personal days, vacations and the 40 hour work week. After seven weeks of being on strike, BC&T Local 342 and Teamsters Local 26 settled contractual issues. Our local came out of negotiations with a three year contract, straight seniority system, four percent raise each year and many company wanted concessions retained, while some other concessions were granted. Our local and the Teamsters local stayed out another month until the Machinists settled on their contract. Not long after the strike of 1988 ended, BC&T Local 342 business office was one of many tenants located in downtown Bloomington’s Brown building that caught fire and burned down. Many of our locals prior records and history pieces were
destroyed. Our local picked up the pieces and carried on. We temporarily used
the Labors Hall until an office at 1214 Towanda Avenue in Bloomington was set
up. Our office has been located in the same building every since. In 1999, the Bakery, Confectionary and To***co Workers International Union united with the American Federation of Grain Processors forming the Bakery, Confectionary, To***co Workers and Grain Millers International Union. BCTGM Local 342
May 23rd 2008 saw the end of a piece of history. The old Paul F. Beich factory located at 101 South Lumber Street went up in flames. The building had been donated to Mid Central Community Action in 2001, by the Beich family. From the mid 1970’s to the turn of the century, the building was home to many offices and used as storage. The building was vacant when it accidentally burned to the ground over two days. You got to remember back in the ‘ole’ days, most everything was wooden and was done in a more manually fashion. The smoke could be seen as far as 30 + miles on that day n May. Many people came to watch a famous sugar laden historical piece of Bloomington, Illinois fall to the
ground. Our local is governed by the BCTGM International Constitution and BCTGM Local 342’s by-laws. Our International constitution and are by-laws are reviewed and usually updated every 4 years. Our local belongs to Region Three of the Internationals six regions. There is generally a 3rd region conference that is hosted by a local in our region every year unless that year contains an
Internationalconvention. Our local has hosted 3rd region conferences in the
past.International conventions are usually held in Las Vegas. BCTGM also
representslocal unions in Canada. Our local is served by an elected
President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, 3 Trustees,
Sergeant at Arms and numerous union stewards. Each member of BCTGM Local 342 is a member of the B&C Trust Fund. Each member pays monthly union dues and is fairlyrepresented. Monthly meetings are generally held on the 1st Monday of each month. If that 1st Monday is an observed holiday meetings are moved to the 2nd Monday of the month. Every year our local participates in the anuall McLean County Labor Day Parade. Our county puts on the biggest parade in the state of Illinois. The parade is organized by the Bloomongton – Normal Trades and Labor Association. Our local throws out Nestle candy every year at the parade and a union picnic follows afterwards. Through many years of Union negotiations and union members being united, workers have received: pay raises, heath / dental / eye / life insurance, a 40 hour work week, paid vacations, paid holidays off, overtime pay, relief periods, jury duty pay, funeral and personal days paid, pension benefits, 401k investment plan, seniority system, representation through a grievance and arbitration process, and many improvements to making working conditions safer. Every person who is or was a member of BCTGM Local 342 and or worked for either Nestle USA or the Paul F. has had a hand in the progression of existence. It’s fun to listen to peoples stories about different times and places in history. We must understand were we’ve come from and not forget where we are going. Not only are we union brothers and sisters, we could consider ourselves family. Solidarity my brothers and sisters!
