FORT WORTH, Texas — Unionized workers at the Molson Coors brewery in Fort Worth are officially on strike.
Members of Teamsters Local 997 began picketing outside the brewery Saturday and Sunday after failing to come to terms on a new three-year contract for 420 workers who make, package, and warehouse the company’s products.
The union says they are seeking higher pay and improvements to health and retirement benefits.
The two sides have not publicly disclosed details included in their contract proposals, but 93% of Local 997 Molson Coors Teamsters voted to reject their employers' latest offer.
“The greed and abuse from Molson Coors must end now,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien in a press release. “Executives shamelessly brag to investors about the company’s incredible growth and historic earnings….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 this week reported a fourth-quarter profit of $103.3 million. The Teamsters say the company’s year-end 2023 earnings were its highest in 19 years.
“While we respect the Union’s right to strike, we have strong contingency plans in place, and those plans are already well underway. 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," Molson Coors spokesperson Adam Collins told WFAA. "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.”
On Feb. 8, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced it increased strike benefits to $1,000 per week for members of Local 997.
The brewery, located at 7001 South Freeway, opened in 1969 and became the home of Miller Lite in 1975. According to the Molson Coors website, 520 employees work at the Fort Worth site.
Molson Coors announced a $65 million investment in the Fort Worth brewery to grow its capabilities and increase its in-house hard seltzer production. The facility is the company's only plant where co-branded products are assembled and packaged.
NOTE: The following video was uploaded on Feb. 12.