Axios has a story on the hometown giant of liquid refreshment with There’s a strike on tap at Anheuser-Busch In-Bev, the largest U.S. brewer…
5,000 workers at Anheuser-Busch InBev, the nation’s largest brewer, could walk off the job as soon as Friday, the day after their current union contract expires.
Why it matters: The strike organized by the Teamsters would disrupt operations at 12 breweries — more than a quarter of the company’s U.S. workforce — and would be the biggest walkout of the year, threatening to disrupt a cherished liquid resource.
- Anheuser-Busch workers haven’t gone out on strike since 1976.
How do workers feel about the prospect of going out on strike? More Perfect Union talked with some Teamsters and you can watch what they had to say in I Work For the King of Beers. I’m Paid Like a Peasant.
5,000 Teamsters could shut down Anheuser-Busch on March 1st. 99% of the workers at 12 breweries voted to authorize a strike. One worker told us: “I work for the king, but I get paid like a peasant.”
Many of us know folks that work at the brewery. The Teamsters were very supportive during our strikes in both 2019 and 2023. They have also been watching how the UAW increased our strike pay to prevent members from being “starved” into accepting a substandard contract. Their latest move is a bold one. They have increased strike pay to $1000 a week. In addition, some locals, and St. Louis is one that particpates in a regional strike fund that will pay another $200 per week. Combining these two programs will provide area Teamsters $1,200 a week in benefits.
Let’s hope the management at AB is taking this serious because there is no doubt the Teamsters are. Only two days left. Let’s Get It Done.
(graphic courtesy of DG.)
