The Teamsters General union has criticised Hershey’s cost-cutting and restructuring programme in the US and Canada.
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The union said Hershey’s will cut its North American workforce by 11.5% as it moves production to a new manufacturing facility in Mexico.
“Millions of jobs have left our nation for countries like Mexico and China where workers don’t have the rights and protections our workers enjoy in the US,” Teamsters president Jim Hoffa said. “Wages are low and employer power is high — a perfect storm in which big business prioritizes profit over worker safety and well-being.”
Hoffa attacked Hershey, a company he described as “synonymous with American tradition”, He said: “This is a company that was built on the backs of hardworking Americans — blue-collar, middle-class men and women who dedicated their lives to Hershey and are now being betrayed for the sake of a few extra dollars at the bottom of a balance sheet.”
Hershey has announced a string of plant closures across the US since it unveiled its plans to reduce costs by restructuring its manufacturing base and cutting 1,500 jobs in February.
