Anheuser-Busch and the Teamsters union have reached a tentative contract agreement that averts a strike of 5,000 union members, who had been prepared to walk out at midnight Thursday.
The Teamsters say the deal will grant members an immediate $4 an hour raise and an $8 an hour increase over the life of the contract, raising pay of members by an average of 23%.
“After a long day and a longer campaign, we’ve reached an agreement that sets a new high standard for the brewing industry,” said Teamsters President Sean O’Brien in a statement Wednesday evening.
Anheuser-Busch, the nation’s largest brewer, also praised the deal.
“We are pleased to have reached a tentative bargaining agreement … that continues to recognize and reward the talent, commitment, and hard work of our employees while also positioning the company for long-term success,” said the statement from the company.
It was a sharp shift from just hours earlier. The two sides met at the bargaining table Wednesday, with the strike deadline looming. The Teamsters left the meeting calling the Anheuser-Busch offer inadequate.
“The new offer that Anheuser-Busch put on the table this morning continues to ignore many of the Teamsters’ key issues. They are lowballing workers on wages, they’re not investing enough money in our members’ pensions, and they’ve made no firm commitment on job protections,” said O’Brien in his statement mid-afternoon.
But just before 7 pm ET the deal was announced.
The deal comes nearly two weeks after 400 members of the union had already gone on strike at one of the five US breweries of Anheuser-Busch rival Molson Coors in Fort Worth, Texas. Molson Coors management said it had been able to meet customer needs using inventories it built up, increased capacity at other plants and management employees continuing some operations in Fort Worth.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
Read the full article here
