Frito-Lay Factory Workers Allegedly Get Fired for Taking Time Off, Claim Work Schedule Destroys Families

Frito-Lay workers have had enough of the company's unfair and destructive management that has caused them to work 12-hour shifts seven days a week. They decided to do something about it.

In order to put an end to mandatory overtime, a wayward "points" system, and 84-hour weeks that destroy lives, hundreds of employees are walking picket lines.

According to several workers in Topeka, Kansas, they have worked for five months without a single day off, and to earn one point on the table, they have to work for 31 days straight.

WORKED TO THE BONE

Not only that, the workers claim that forced overtime is destroying their families, ruining their marriages, and even costing lives as some of the employees have resorted to suicide.

The abusive working schedule, low wages, and dangerous working conditions have taken a toll on the Frito-Lay workers' mental and physical health, with many of them being driven to exhaustion on a daily basis.

Anthony Shelton, President of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers, and Grain Millers International Union, recently guaranteed the union's support towards the workers and their families.

Shelton wrote that the current strike is about more than wages and benefits. It is about quality of life as people are being forced by the company to work double or even triple shifts every day.

THEY ONLY HAVE TIME TO WORK

Since they spend all their time at work or traveling to and from work, workers don't have enough time to be with their loved ones, run errands, do chores, go to appointments or get a decent night's sleep. He added:

"Frito-Lay, owned by beverage and food processing giant Pepsico, is exploiting its dedicated employees and risking their health by forcing them to work so many hours."

Shelton stated that, despite registering a record number in terms of profits, the company had refused the union's request to hire more workers.

As a result, the BCTGM stands with the workers and their right to strike as a way to fight for their well-being as well as the well-being of their families.

Not only that but Shelton assured that the BCTGM negotiators are ready to work toward a "fair contract that reflects the value of these hardworking men and women."

The statement ends with a plea to the Frito-Lay management to recognize the daily sacrifice of their employees and work with the union to find a solution that will improve their members' lives.

MCDONALD'S STRIKE

Back in May, several McDonald's workers also embarked on labor strike, but instead of demanding better working conditions, they took to the streets to ask for their hourly wages to be increased to $15.

It was reported that workers from 15 major cities across the nation, such as Chicago, Miami, Houston, Tampa, and Oakland, came together and wore red shirts with the words "Fight for $15."