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Passersby witnessed a motivated group last month.
The Teamsters Local 997 strike against Molson Coors entered its third day with no resolution on the horizon apparent. (Editor's note: As of Wednesday morning, the strike was at five days.)
About 420 workers walked out on Saturday morning after negotiations on a new labor contract stalled. Workers want larger pay raises than what the company is proposing and the elimination of two-tiered health care and retirement benefits.
“It almost seems like the company threw it in our face,” said Justin Southern, president of the local Teamsters at the plant. “They kept reporting about six years of profit in one year, but then when they come to the table with us, they say, ‘your pie is only so big, we're only going to give you this.’
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“They just want to keep the profit for themselves.”
It is a motivated bunch. Striking workers are picketing in shifts, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., outside the Molson Coors facility on the South Freeway, one of the largest breweries in the U.S.
Picketers held signs reading “Honk For Beer.” Many on the heavily traveled northbound lanes of Interstate 35W happily obliged. Another sign read, “No Justice, No Beer.”
An inflatable rat, on loan from another local Teamsters outfit, rose above the gathering. The implication was clear to an observer.
“While the union has not responded to our last offer, which exceeds local market rates, we remain committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to everyone,” said Adam Collins, Molson Coors’ chief communications officer.
Striking workers are receiving $1,000 a week from the union while not on the job. Southern said his colleagues are digging in. The national Teamsters have vowed a fight to the finish.
“As long as the profits keep flowing to the top, Molson Coors doesn't give a damn if the workers inside its breweries can afford to take care of their families,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien, who is based in Washington, D.C. “They put pennies on the table for the workers behind these products. They want to strip working families of their health care. The greed and abuse from Molson Coors must end now.”
The Teamsters are also threatening a strike at the Anheuser Busch brewery in Jacksonville, Florida.
The brewery in Fort Worth is the distribution base of Molson Coors products in the western U.S. Those include Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Topo Chico hard seltzer.
The consumer has yet to feel a pinch.
“While we respect the union’s right to strike, we have strong contingency plans and are well equipped to ensure consumers will be able to buy their favorite Molson Coors products,” Collins said.
The company has said that it built up inventories in recent weeks in anticipation of a work stoppage. Moreover, the company has indicated that it will put to use extra capacity at its five other U.S.-based breweries.
Molson Coors is based in Chicago.
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Another local Teamsters outfit loaned an inflatable rat to help its peers at Molson Coors express their feelings.
Workers here have been negotiating with the company since November.
“Executives shamelessly brag to investors about the company's incredible growth and historic earnings,” O’Brien said. “Millions go to the CEO, billions go to Wall Street, and a middle finger goes to the workers. We're not taking the disrespect, we're not accepting the crumbs, and we're not making concessions. The Teamsters are taking this fight to the streets, and we will hold the line until our members get what they have earned.”
Earlier this month, Molson Coors indeed reported what it called its highest reported dollar results on record.
Two years ago, the company made a $65 million investment in a 200,000 warehouse expansion at the Fort Worth plant.
“Growth is not a strong enough word to describe what we achieved in 2023,” said Gavin Hattersley, Molson Coors CEO, just a week ago. “In fact, our 2023 underlying pretax income was higher than we thought it would be, and frankly, higher than anyone I am aware of said it would be – in 2028. So Molson Coors delivered six years of profit growth — six years of growth — in just one year. That, folks, is a new baseline.”