Four-hundred twenty workers at a Molson Coors plant in Fort Worth, Texas, members of Teamsters Local 997, have gone on strike over a particularly insulting raise offer and the company’s overall refusal to work with them on a fair contract.
It’s not because they can’t afford it, either. Molson Coors is doing better than ever. They just don’t want to.
“Molson Coors announced this week that the company’s year-end 2023 earnings were its highest in 19 years. The company spent more than $50 million on advertising in the fourth quarter. Molson Coors reported making six years’ worth of profit growth in 2023 alone. Last October, the company announced a $2 billion stock buyback for wealthy shareholders,” according to statement from the Teamsters.
It is highly unlikely that any of that profit would have been made had it not been for workers the Fort Worth plant — one of the largest commercial brewing facilities in the nation — making, packaging and warehousing all of that beer. Instead of rewarding its workers and allowing them to share in the company’s success, Molson Coors instead came to the table and offered them a raise of just 99 cents an hour for the next three years.
The workers, who have been working on this contract for the last several months, are also looking for an end to the company’s two-tiered system for healthcare benefits and retirement plans that gives newer hires fewer benefits than those who were grandfathered into the older, better plans. Two-tiered systems — meant to be a way of phasing out the good benefits and replacing them with the kind of crap it is now easier for these companies to get away with — have been a point of contention in many strikes over the last few years.
“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. 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,” Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien said in a statement. “Executives shamelessly brag to investors about the company’s incredible growth and historic earnings. 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.”
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In addition to Coors beer, the Teamsters working at the plant also produce Coors Light, Topo Chico, Simply juices, Pabst, and Yuengling.
Unfortunately, Texas is a Right To Work For Less state, which means that workers who don’t want to join a union get a free ride from the ones who pay their dues. Usually that translates to not having enough money to function properly (which is what the Republicans who push these laws want) or have nice things like funds that keep workers afloat while they are striking.
However, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters also announced this week that they will be providing members striking at the Fort Worth plant with a stipend of $1,000 per week, which means that they will be able to hold out for what they deserve.
Let’s hope that they have as much success as other major strikes have had in the last year, because each time a union wins, it becomes that much easier for the next group that strikes. We’re on a roll here.
NOTE: This was written before the Teamsters donated $45,000 to the RNC.
PREVIOUSLY:
"NOTE: This was written before the Teamsters donated $45,000 to the RNC."
Do tell us more, WaPo link in the sentence:
"O’Brien has said that it’s important for the union to get to know all candidates for the job and that members’ votes “will not be taken for granted.” Some labor experts say O’Brien could feel pressure to consider the memberships’ diverse political leanings, because he won his office in 2021 after running as a reform candidate who promised members more involvement in union decision-making. He is aware that many rank-and-file Teamsters are Republicans, they said."
Yeah? Well, we aren't talking about disagreements about, say, government social welfare programs or foreign policy--we are talking about the future of our fucking democracy.
"Trump has called himself “pro-worker,” positioning himself as an ally of the working class, but he has supported numerous policies that restricted labor’s power. He installed a leader at the NLRB, widely opposed by unions, whose policies and rulings weakened workers’ rights. Trump’s visit to Michigan during the UAW strike in the fall featured a rally with autoworkers at a nonunion shop, while Biden joined striking workers on a picket line, becoming the first sitting president to do so. Trump has received few union endorsements outside of law enforcement unions.
The Teamsters’ inroads with Trump and the GOP have drawn criticism from the union’s progressive wing"
No shit...
/FFS
Doesn't matter if a business can afford to pay you a lot more than they do, nor does it matter if what they're paying you isn't enough for you to live on. They'll pay as little as they can to get as much profit out of your work as possible. So the only tools you have are:
1) Tight enough labor market that they have to pay more, otherwise they cannot fill the job
2) Strike, assuming your strike manages to keep anyone else from working there
3) Government wage rules
Unfortunately right now 2) often won't work except in certain locations and certain industries, and 3) depends on what state you're living in (and if your job isn't an exception). Bidenomics has brought us 1) for a lot of people, which is probably why a lot of recent labor demands have been met by management.
What we can be sure of is that if Republicans run the show, you can forget about 1), 2) and 3).