CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) — Striking Cargill workers are seeking new health insurance coverage after the company announced its coverage would be cut from Friday.

Friday also marks one month since the workers’ strike began. Cargill and Teamsters Local 238 employees went on strike on October 1st, demand competitive salaries and respect for the company. Friday is November first and will mark one month since the strike began.

TV9 spoke with some workers on the picket line Tuesday. Some said they would get by without health insurance, but not everyone is that lucky.

Chris Gerlits is a single father with two children at home.

“One of my children, he’s 20 years old, but he has special needs. He is nonverbal autistic. He is in good health. And I have a 16-year-old boy who’s going to start wrestling, and I hope he doesn’t break anything,” Getlits said.

Starting Friday, Gerlits and her children will no longer have access to their health insurance benefits through Cargill. The same goes for his striking colleagues and their families.

“There’s someone I work with, her husband is having problems and it’s worrying her,” Getlits said.

Getlits said he knew there was a possibility of losing health insurance when the strike began.

“We kind of knew that if it lasted this long, they were going to try to do it, and here we are. They do,” Getlits said.

Teamsters Local 238 has been on strike at Cargill for about a month now. Workers on the picket line believe it is the company that is pressuring them to drop their demands.

“I’m trying to get us back,” said Brad Eveland, another striker. “They weren’t really willing to negotiate with us. Our union has been to the table several times and nothing has come of it.

Eveland will also lose her health insurance benefits on November 1.

“I am fortunate to say that I am healthy and doing well. I will do without it if it proves necessary. I know there are other options for health coverage, but many of the people I work with have families and children. They have health issues and it’s going to hit them a lot harder,” Eveland said.

Cargill told TV9 workers that the strikers would be eligible for COBRA benefits starting Friday. Cargill sent a statement when the announcement was made. The statement reads:

“AEven though we have not reached an agreement with the union committee, we remain open and willing to engage in new negotiations. We believe Cargill offered a fair and competitive package. In the meantime, eligible employees have continued to receive their health insurance benefits and will do so through October 31, 2024. If they remain on strike after that date, they will then be eligible for COBRA benefits. Cargill continues to safely deliver high-quality products to our customers.

Gerlits is looking for other options.

“One of our colleagues from the union did some research. He has a friend in Des Moines who printed some stuff to let us know that COBRA is not the only option. It’s an option, but it’s expensive,” Gerlits said.

Eveland said it was hard to say how much longer the strike would last with the added pressure, but said he would be there until the end.

TV9 reached out to Cargill again Tuesday morning to see if they had any updates regarding the negotiations, in a statement Cargill said:

“Even though we have not reached an agreement with the union committee, we remain open and willing to engage in further negotiations. We believe Cargill offered a fair and competitive package. Cargill continues to safely deliver high-quality products to our customers.

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