Every day for more than two months, we’ve been on the picket line in Texas. No matter the weather or time, we’re out there.
We were forced to strike by our employer, Molson Coors, a company that made $12 billion last year from our hard work. In return, Molson Coors offered us Teamsters at the Fort Worth brewery an insulting wage increase of 99 cents per hour.
After more than two months on the line, the company’s greedy, shameful position hasn’t changed.
Well, workers aren’t backing down either. We will not accept crumbs from a corporation that we made rich.
Scene at a Miami Beach, Florida, Publix grocery store supermarket.
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On calls with Wall Street shareholders, Molson Coors executives brag about how profitable the company is. But when it comes to a respectable contract for workers, they hang up the phone.
This is a story that is sadly all too common in America. Global corporations constantly boast about innovating and consolidating to improve operations, but all they’re doing is maneuvering to keep more profits for themselves. Working people are told to accept whatever we’re given. When corporations as big as Molson Coors talk about reducing labor costs and managing overhead, what they’re really saying is — how can we get away with having fewer workers and paying people less?
It’s an operational mindset stuck in the past. In 2024, workers are taking a stand, striking, and getting what we deserve.
The Molson Coors CEO’s salary is nearly $10 million. For every $1 that the Teamsters who make his beer get paid, he takes home $281. We are not asking to be wealthy. We just want to catch up with inflation and take care of our families. We will walk the strike line until we get the good wages, health care, and respect that we deserve.
We are the backbone of this company, but we know the only thing Molson Coors cares about is keeping its investors happy. Every time another multibillion-dollar stock buyback is announced, it confirms what we already know—Molson Coors does not care about us. We’ve had to fight and fight and fight during contract negotiations just to keep what we have. The level of disrespect for workers is unbelievable. On two separate occasions, our negotiating committee waited hours for the company’s negotiators to come back to the bargaining table. They had left for the day and didn’t even bother to tell us.
We are the only major Molson Coors brewery in the U.S. that has Teamsters Union representation, and in a so-called “right to work” state with laws unfriendly to workers. This company’s unwillingness to reach a fair new agreement with workers means its sights are set on breaking the union. But workers at other Molson Coors plants are watching us closely. We know we have a lot of support. And we will not be broken.
We are overwhelmed by the public support for a nationwide boycott of Molson Coors products. We put our all into making Miller High Life, Coors Light, Milwaukee’s Best, Foster’s, Topo Chico, and a dozen other brands. We don’t want to harm these products or our employer. We are calling for the boycott to put pressure on Molson Coors to do the right thing and agree to a fair contract for the workers who make this company a success. We want to get back to work.
Teamsters are spreading the word of the boycott at grocery stores, beer distributors, liquor stores, and wherever Molson Coors products are sold. Since Molson Coors heavily advertised during the NCAA’s March Madness basketball games, my co-workers and I recently leafleted and talked with people attending them. The public is astounded when they hear Molson Coors could have invested in its workers and come to terms on a fair agreement with us, but instead, chose to ship in white-collar managers and hire temps to do our work. The company has had little success with this tactic. We are trained and skilled in what we do. These are not easy jobs and, if you want it done right, you need an experienced Teamster.
I’m a line mechanic at Molson Coors. I make sure the cans and bottles are running on three different lines. If there is a problem, I repair it. I keep the beer moving, and my job is to solve problems.
Lately, my job is to be on the strike line, communicate with my co-workers, answer questions, dispel rumors from management and—along with our local union leaders at Teamsters Local 997—keep the momentum high. Being on strike isn’t fun, but we are united and our spirits are strong. I am optimistic that when we go back in the plant, it’s going to be a different atmosphere and better than before.
Every worker needs to know the power they have. Corporations can pay us a living wage and it won’t even put a dent in their bottom line. With all of us sticking together, we will do better. I hope seeing our strike at Molson Coors inspires other workers to come together, unionize, and fight for their worth.
Jeff Pruitt is a line mechanic at Molson Coors in Fort Worth, Texas. He’s worked at the brewery for eight years and is a proud member of Teamsters Local 997.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.