CEO: Cheating, Exploiting, Oppressing
As Teamsters Protect Members, CEOs Reward Themselves at Workers' Expense
By Lena Melentijevic, Maura Drumm, Paul Tsikouras
Corporate greed has a name. Many names to be exact. The following chief executives in hospital systems, food production, and beverage distribution are living proof that no industry is immune from profit-driven attacks on workers. These CEOs have squeezed the workforce harder, stalled contract negotiations, and put profits over people. We know exactly who is responsible — and it’s time to call them out.
Robert G. Riney
CURRENT TITLE: President and CEO of Henry Ford Health (2022-Present)
More than 700 Teamsters nurses and case workers at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc, Michigan, have been forced out on strike for nine months. During that time, CEO Robert Riney released six episodes of his podcast, The BOBcast, including one titled, “Lessons in Humanity and Healing” — qualities that have been notably absent in his treatment of workers.
Riney pocketed over $7 million in compensation in 2024, landing his name on the list of the highest paid health care executives in Michigan. His bio on the Henry Ford Health website highlights one of his “most ambitious initiatives,” the joint venture with Ascension Michigan. While the merger meant bigger checks for Riney and the hospital’s executives, workers faced job cuts.
Riney touts his philanthropy and civic engagement, but no number of accolades can outweigh the damage done when the people providing health care are treated as disposable.
Brian Sikes
CURRENT TITLE: Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Cargill Meat Solutions (2023-Present)
On May 20, more than 1,700 Teamsters at Cargill Meat Solutions’ facility in Fort Morgan, Colorado, were locked out by their employer. Cargill CEO Brian Sikes has made clear where his priorities lie — and it’s not with American workers.
Sikes spent more than 35 years climbing the corporate ladder at Cargill, holding management and executive level positions across the company before becoming CEO in 2023. After decades inside offices and boardrooms, he knows exactly how much wealth workers create for Cargill — and how little the company is willing to give back.
While Teamsters in Colorado fight for fair wages and benefits, Sikes has prioritized international expansion, including in China.
Instead of negotiating a fair contract for 1,700 American workers in Fort Morgan, Sikes is more focused on global operations than investing in the workforce that drives Cargill’s success.
Tom Bené
CURRENT TITLE: President and CEO of Breakthru Beverage Group (2021-Present)
Tom Bené has a long history of being at the helm of companies with anti-worker track records. He brought those union-busting tactics to Breakthru Beverage from his time as President of Sysco Corp., PepsiCo North America, and the National Restaurant Association.
Teamsters at Local 710 in Illinois and Local 600 and Local 688 in Missouri are on strike, demanding an end to Breakthru’s unfair labor practices. Breakthru management wants members to waive their lawful right to not cross or work behind a Teamsters picket line. The union will never agree to a contract that fails to include this critical protection.
Teamsters at Breakthru Beverage facilities in Florida were on strike for five months and fought for 400 days from organizing to ratifying their first contract. Meanwhile, Bené and his company wasted millions on a failed union-busting campaign.
Shame on Bené and his fellow CEOs who fail to understand that Teamsters will fight for as long as it takes to organize and win the contracts that workers deserve.