Teamsters Union workers at Anheuser-Busch on Tuesday voted in lopsided numbers to ratify a new five-year contract.
The union announced that the deal got 86% support from rank-and-file members.
The contract calls for $8-an-hour wage increases, a $2,500 ratification bonus for each worker and an end to a two-tier health care plan in place since 2019.
The union represents 5,000 workers who brew, package and ship beer at 12 of the company’s breweries across the U.S. In St. Louis, one of the larger Teamster-represented sites, the union represents about 450 workers.
“In ratifying a strong new contract at Anheuser-Busch, Teamsters have clawed back concessions from earlier agreements, protected retirees and invested in their pensions, and will be taking home the higher wages we’ve fought for,” union general president Sean O’Brien said in a statement.
“It’s a significant victory for brewery workers in the United States.”
An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson said the company was pleased to hear of the contract ratification.
The agreement, the spokesperson said, “builds on our existing industry-leading package of wages, healthcare and retirement benefits” along with job security provisions.
The Teamsters had threatened to strike at the company’s American breweries, saying the company hadn’t provided enough assurances around job security. In the lead-up, the union boosted strike pay for A-B workers to $1,000 per week.
The groups reached a deal last week following a bargaining session in Washington, D.C., a day before the previous labor contract expired. The vote was announced Tuesday night after three days of in-person voting, the union said.
The last-minute agreement spared the beermaker a strike, which would have dealt another financial and PR hit to the company as it recovers from last year’s informal boycott against Bud Light.
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