The Teamsters union said on Dec. 16 that 99 percent of its members have voted to authorize a strike at Anheuser-Busch’s U.S. breweries if the union is unable to reach an agreement on a new labor contract with the beermaker by early next year.
The union is seeking an agreement that would improve wages, protect jobs, and secure health care and retirement benefits for 5,000 of its members at 12 breweries operated by Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Bud Light and Budweiser. The current agreement expires on Feb. 29, 2024.
The beermaker last month reached a tentative agreement with the Teamsters to restore some health care benefits. However, the union stated that the firm has delayed talks on job security issues since last month.
“Anheuser-Busch can’t kick this can down the road much longer,” Jeff Padellaro, an official with the Teamsters said in a statement. “The Teamsters don’t want to be forced onto the picket line at any employer, but we are fully prepared to walk if Anheuser-Busch doesn’t get serious about negotiating a record contract that also protects good union jobs.”
There are currently “no dates” scheduled for talks between the two parties, the Teamsters stated.
“Anheuser-Busch Teamsters recently rallied in New Hampshire, California, and Florida. More actions will take place soon across the country,” the labor union stated.
Anheuser-Busch hasn’t released a public comment on the matter; company officials didn’t respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.
The threat of a strike by the union against Anheuser-Busch comes after the Teamsters reached agreement with United Parcel Service (UPS) over the summer to avert a possible strike. It included pay increases of $2.75 per hour in 2023 and $7.50 over the length of the five-year contract.
Under that deal, full-time drivers can have an average top rate of $49 per hour and a raise of $21 per hour for part-time workers. The deal also provided UPS Teamsters members a day off on Martin Luther King Day.
The Teamsters announcement comes as Anheuser-Busch’s Bud Light has grappled with fallout over a promotional effort that involved a transgender activist and influencer earlier this year, leading to a boycott that has adversely impacted the brand’s U.S. sales for months.
About a month ago, the firm stated that it would be parting ways with chief U.S. marketing officer Benoit Garbe at the end of 2023.
“These senior leadership changes will accelerate our return to growth as we continue to focus on what we do best—brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter,” Anheuser Busch U.S. CEO Brendan Whitworth said in a statement.
During the early part of the boycott, musician Kid Rock posted a video of himself using Bud Light cans as target practice. However, during an appearance last week on Tucker Carlson’s show on X, he said Bud Light “deserved a black eye and they got one” but noted that he’s no longer boycotting the brand.
“So, do I want to hold their head underwater and drown them because they made a mistake? No, I think they got the message,” said Kid Rock, whose real name is Bob Ritchie.
“Hopefully, other companies get it too, but you know, at the end of the day, I don’t think the punishment that they’ve been getting at this point fits the crime,” he told Mr. Carlson. “I would like to see people get us back on board and become bigger because that’s the America that I want to live in.”
However, conservative commentator Matt Walsh said the boycott should continue.
