The five-year contract ends the stalemate between the Froot Loops maker and its factory workers in Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Tennessee that had prompted the company to warn of permanently replacing striking employees, drawing criticism from U.S. President Joe Biden.

The union said the highlights of the new agreement included no permanent two-tier system, in which lower-tier workers make less than longer-tenured workers.

“This agreement makes gains and does not include any concessions,” said Anthony Shelton, president of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union.

Around 1,400 workers went on a strike since Oct. 5 after their contracts expired, as negotiations over payment and benefits stalled amid a tightening labour market.

“It will be difficult to go back. There is a lot of tarnished relationships that we will work diligently to repair,” said Dan Osborn, president of the local union in Omaha, adding the employees would return to work on Dec. 27.

The strike saw U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders rally with the striking workers in Michigan, while it also triggered calls for a boycott of Kellogg’s products by consumers on social media platforms Twitter and Reddit.

“Well deserved, Kellogg’s workers! Also happy I can buy Cheez-its (sic) again,” a Twitter user said on Tuesday, while another tweeted: “Froot Loops party!”

The strike did not affect Kellogg’s sole Canadian plant, at Belleville, Ont., which mainly makes the Mini-Wheats cereal line.

Shares of the breakfast foods maker — whose cereal brands also include Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Special K, Corn Pops, Frosted Flakes and Raisin Bran — declined three in late-morning trade.

— Reporting for Reuters by Praveen Paramasivam in Bangalore.

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Analysts have said fried chicken sandwich pioneer Popeyes, owned by RBI, has been hurt by McDonald’s and KFC launching similar items, while RBI-owned Burger King has underperformed in recent months on weak demand for its lower-priced menu items.

U.S. comparable sales at Burger King declined 1.6 per cent, and slipped 4.5 per cent at Popeyes in the third quarter ended Sept. 30.

Firehouse Subs, in comparison, reported U.S. same-store sales growth of 20 per cent from pre-pandemic levels between January and October, Restaurant Brands said.

RBI’s U.S.-listed shares rose marginally after it said the deal would immediately add to its earnings once it closes in the coming months. It also said it will fund the acquisition through cash on hand and debt.

“(We) have kept an eye on it (Firehouse Subs) from a distance over the years,” RBI CEO Jose Cil told Reuters.

Jacksonville-based Firehouse’s franchisees own and operate 97 per cent of its 1,200 restaurants across 46 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and, since 2015, Canada.

Firehouse so far has just 48 Canadian stores, all in Ontario, run by franchisee Onfire Restaurants. The chain’s online listing of regions available to new franchisees shows all 10 provinces and three territories as having “no current availability.”

RBI, meanwhile, has about 27,000 stores in over 100 countries.

“There’s a tonne of room for growth here in the U.S. and Canada, and all around the world,” Cil said about Firehouse Subs, which is popular for its “Hook + Ladder” sub.

Firehouse Subs’ loyalty program has 3.5 million subscribers, and is adding around 50,000 more customers per month, said RBI, which earlier this year saw Burger King and Popeyes launch similar programs.

Firehouse Subs CEO Don Fox and finance head Vincent Burchianti will manage its day-to-day operations.

— Reporting for Reuters by Praveen Paramasivam in Bangalore. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.

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The deal would see Sanderson Farms, the third-largest poultry producer in the United States, join hands with smaller rival Continental Grain’s Wayne Farms to compete better with rivals Tyson Foods Inc and Pilgrim’s Pride Corp.

Wayne Farms Chief Executive Officer Clint Rivers will lead the combined business, which will be privately held upon the deal’s closure expected to be by early 2022.

Cargill and Continental Grain will pay Sanderson Farms shareholders $203 apiece, representing a premium of about 11 percent to the stock’s closing price on Friday.

The offer price also represents a 30.3 percent premium to the stock’s closing price on June 18, before reports emerged about Sanderson Farms exploring a sale.

Shares of Sanderson Farms rose 8 percent to $196.65 in premarket trading on Monday.

Prices of chicken products, especially those of wings and breasts, have risen as easing pandemic-related restrictions bring consumers back to restaurants and more fast-food chains add new menu items to lure customers.

Yum Brands Inc’s KFC and Restaurant Brands International Inc’s Burger King have launched new chicken sandwiches, while Wingstop Inc has been doubling down on chicken thighs.

Sanderson Farms, which sells frozen chicken to several U.S. retailers and restaurants, processed over 4.8 billion pounds of meat in fiscal 2020.

Last year, Sanderson Farms rejected an unsolicited takeover offer of $142 per share from investment firm Durational Capital Management.

J.P. Morgan analysts said in June a deal between Continental Grain and Sanderson Farms would draw government attention, as a combined entity would control about 15 percent of the U.S. chicken market and given recent lawsuits regarding chicken price fixing.

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