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Fort Worth Molson Coors workers prepare to strike
Hundreds of workers could walk off the job at a Fort Worth brewery soon. FOX 4's Hanna Battah talked a Teamsters representative and shares the latest on the Molson Coors contract negotiations.
FORT WORTH, Texas - The threat of a strike at the Fort Worth Molson Coors brewery is real as contract negotiations continue.
A Teamster’s union representative told FOX 4 that members of the local chapter authorized a strike on Sunday.
About 93% of the 420 North Texas members voted down the most recent offer from the company.
Negotiations have been ongoing since the fall. But so far, they have been unsuccessful.
Just in the last few days, the Teamsters’ union announced it will increase future strike benefits to $1,000 per week for the local chapter if it decides to head to the picket line.
The workers are seeking a three-year contract with pay raises, improved health care, and retirement benefits.
They point to profits as justification for their demands.
In a news release, the union said Molson Coors’ fourth quarter 2023 earnings were the company’s highest since 2005.
And it was insulting to them in the midst of these negotiations to see the company spending money elsewhere like on a Super Bowl commercial.
"It hurts the membership. The employees see a 30-second Coors Light ad for $7 million and that’s double or more of the package we had on the table to get the contract settled," said Rick Miedema, the secretary-treasurer with Teamsters 997.
The union said the Fort Worth facility, which has been around since 1969, is the only brewery that services the entire western region of the United States with Molson Coors products like Topo Chicco, Simply, Pabst, and Yuengling.
The possible work stoppage comes weeks ahead of a possible nationwide strike by 5,000 Teamsters in another contract battle with Anheuser-Busch.
Molson Coors sent FOX 4 a statement saying the company is committed to reaching an agreement that is fair to employees and the Fort Worth brewery.
It goes on to say that it has strong contingency plans in place and is prepared for any scenario.
Molson Coors said it deliberately built up distributor inventories and its five other breweries are well-equipped to ensure consumers will be able to buy their favorite beer products.