Workers at Fort Worth Molson Coors brewery go on strike
The Fort Worth brewery where workers are on strike makes a variety of Molson Coors brands, including Coors Light.
About 420 workers at one of the biggest breweries in the United States, Molson Coors’ Fort Worth facility, went on strike starting on Saturday over pay and other benefits.
The workers, represented by Teamsters Local 997, want larger pay raises than what the company is proposing and the elimination of two-tiered health care and retirement benefits. By walking out, workers halted production at the only brewery that serves the western U.S. with Molson Coors products like Coors Light, Topo Chico hard seltzer and Simply juices.
It’s the latest in a long series of strikes across the country in the past year as workers from industries like automotive, airlines and even Hollywood writers have all walked off the job.
Molson Coors declined an interview request from The Dallas Morning News. However, the strike is not expected to affect operations for the Chicago-based drink and brewing company, Adam Collins, the company’s chief communications officer, said in an emailed statement to The News.
“While we respect the union’s right to strike, we have strong contingency plans in place, and those plans are already well underway,” Collins said. “We deliberately built up distributor inventories across the country in recent weeks. Our five other U.S. breweries have extra capacity, and we are well equipped to ensure that consumers will be able to buy their favorite Molson Coors products.”
Workers at the facility say they’ve been working toward a new three-year contract since November but have been unsuccessful. The latest offer included a $1 an hour wage hike, according to the Teamsters.
“At this point, the union has not responded to our last offer, which exceeds local market rates for similar unionized roles, but we remain committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to both our employees and to the Fort Worth brewery,” Collins said.
Strikers are receiving $1,000 a week from the union to supplement their missed salary.
“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 O’Brien. “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.”
Molson Coors announced on its Feb. 13 earnings call that the company had posted a profit of $103.3 million in its fourth quarter and nearly $1.3 billion for the year.
“Molson Coors put itself on strike by taking for granted the Teamsters who keep the beer flowing and the brewery operating,” said Jeff Padellaro, director of the Teamsters brewery, bakery and soft drink conference.
“Workers are fed up with the corporate elite who keep all the profits for themselves and expect the people doing the real work to make the sacrifices,” he said. “The taps at Molson Coors will run dry until workers get a contract with the pay and workplace conditions they deserve.”