Fort Worth Inc.
Passersby witnessed a motivated group last month.
The three-month-old labor impasse at the Fort Worth Molson Coors distributorship has been settled.
Teamsters workers voted on Wednesday to ratify a new three-year agreement, according to a press release, which “secures wage increases, improves benefits, and restores retiree healthcare.”
“Our members never gave up, they pushed back on this company until they got a fair contract that recognizes their contributions,” said Jeff Padellaro, director of the Teamsters Brewery, Bakery, and Soft Drink Conference, in a statement. “Teamsters don’t back down from a fight and we will always fight for what we deserve.”
Details of the settlement were not forthcoming.
About 420 workers walked off the job on Feb. 17 after negotiations on a new labor contract stalled. Workers had demanded larger pay raises than what the company was proposing and the elimination of two-tiered health care and retirement benefits.
Sources at the brewery said that at least some of the striking workers had crossed back over. The brewery had ramped operations back up to close to pre-strike volume, sources said. The company had brought in replacement workers to bridge the manpower shortfall.
Attempts to contact labor leaders had gone unsuccessful over the past few weeks.
The company said in a statement of the settlement: “The contract is fair and equitable to our valued team members and to our Fort Worth operations, ensuring we continue to brew, package and ship the very best beers and beverages for our customers.”
On March 28, negotiations between the parties had broken off after management declined to move past five more cents on its original offer of a 99-cent hourly increase.
Labor leaders called the 99-cent per hour increase “degrading.”
Fort Worth Inc. has not been able to verify the pay range of workers prior to the strike. Some striking workers, however, said that the $1,000 they were receiving from the union during the strike was a substantial reduction from their usual paychecks.
Workers here have been negotiating with the company since November.
“Executives shamelessly brag to investors about the company's incredible growth and historic earnings,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien said in February. “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 in February, 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-square-foot 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.”