Machinists in Milwaukee Molson Coors brewery strike

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MILWAUKEE —It doesn’t have the breadth, depth or impact of a 17-year boycott, which began with a year-long strike in Colorado, pitting the Brewery Workers, the AFL-CIO and gay and Hispanic groups against the radical right-wing Coors brewery empire, but 43 mechanics and repair workers, members of two Machinists locals, went on strike against Molson Coors in Milwaukee on October 3.

The famous Coors struggle began in spring 1977 and lasted more than a year. Almost 1,500 Coors workers at its main brewery complex in Golden, Colo., struck against a management known for its far-right politics and  its discrimination against Blacks, Latinos and LGBT people. Those workers were also members of the Brewery workers, which later merged into the Teamsters.

Coors won by hiring scabs. After the locals called off the strike, Coors won a decertification vote. The boycott continued for another decade and a half. It was settled when Coors yielded to the federation’s demands to end discrimination in hiring, but not before Coors was clobbered in its market share in the West. It fell from 40% pre-strike to 17% post-boycott, Wikipedia says.

This conflict, which comes long after Coors merged into Canadian-based Molson’s, is more local and focuses on pay and quality of life issues, the mechanics and repair workers, represented by Machinists IAM) Locals 66 and 510, told the parent union and local media.

“As our Milwaukee Brewers”—the baseball team—“fight to keep their season alive in the playoffs, the real brewers at Molson Coors are standing strong on the picket line, fighting for a fair contract,” the two locals said in a statement. The baseball team lost to the New York Mets. The union brewers plan to win against Coors.

“Our members are demanding a deal that not only rewards their vital contributions but also respects their right to a healthy work-life balance and family time. We’re rooting for both victories tonight—for the Brewers on the field and for justice at the bargaining table,” the unions continued.

Key issues are pay and family/work life balance. While not disclosing actual numbers, the two Machinists locals say Coors’s contract offer “fails to keep up with inflation” or even with contracts other trades hold at the Milwaukee plant.

And Coors “insists on an alternate work schedule and other concessions that undermine our members’ flexibility and negatively impact their work/life balance.”

“We’re just trying to get fair contract communications so we can work together with the company and get on the same page,” striking machinist Jose Flores told WTMJ TV.

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CONTRIBUTOR

Mark Gruenberg

Award-winning journalist Mark Gruenberg is head of the Washington, D.C., bureau of People's World. He is also the editor of the union news service Press Associates Inc. (PAI). Known for his reporting skills, sharp wit, and voluminous knowledge of history, Mark is a compassionate interviewer but tough when going after big corporations and their billionaire owners.