Employees of Franz Bakery are striking due to unfair labor practices

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — Employees at Franz Bakery in Springfield are taking a stand against what they say are unfair working conditions.

Will Paget, a Franz employee, says this is the first strike in the company’s 100-year history and the first strike at the Springfield plant.

“We currently have over 180 members on strike. We have agreements with the teamsters not to cross our picket line. Our long-haul drivers and our salespeople are teamsters. So this is truly a historic moment.”

In a post on Reddit, Paget detailed a list of grievances workers level against the bakery, ranging from safety concerns to low wages and excessive hours.

“So the general saying in the bakery, especially when I started five years ago, at the very beginning of the pandemic, was: don’t have plans, you’re working for friends. People work six-day weeks with split days off. you get two days off, they are almost always divided. We can no longer afford to support an entire family on just this one income. If this one income has three family members with no other income, you are eligible for food stamps.”

The strike started on Thursday, October 31, 2024.

Our station reached Franz Bakery. We haven’t heard anything back yet.