Union Members voting on latest offer from Frito Lay
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Union members are voting on the latest negotiation offer from Frito-Lay after nearly three weeks of failed debate.
Union leaders say the new offer from the company is better than where they started, but now it's up to employees to decide if it's enough to end the strike.
Employees like Brent Hall, an employee with the company since 2005.
He says he's at his boiling point with negotiations.
"They're making people's lives miserable in that place and outside of that place," BCTGM 218 president Hall said.
Friday's vote on the latest offer from Frito-Lay will decide if the strike will continue, or if they've finally reached an agreement on years of built-up grievances.
Jason Davis, a representative from the international union says there are 850 union members working at the Topeka plant in charge of making that decision.
According to Davis included in this latest offer is one day off every week for employees with specific guidelines.
IBEW 226 Business Manager Robert Bausch said that doesn't sound like too much to ask the billion-dollar corporation for.
"We all put our heart and soul into what we do and for these guys not to spend their time with their families that's a big concern for me and I'm not even on there," Bausch said.
As for Brent, he says he does not feel 100 percent about either way Friday's vote could go but he hopes Frito-Lay leaders are listening to the employees in Topeka, and continue working to treat them better.
"We gotta look at the situation and be able to treat people like people and not like a dollar figure," Hall said.
After voting closes Friday night, votes will be counted and results released to employees first.
An announcement could come sometime late Sunday night.