JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More than 300 employees at the Jacksonville Anheuser Busch Brewery are on the verge of striking.
The group held a rally at the plant on Jacksonville’s Northside Saturday amid stalled contract negotiations. The union members are giving the company another week and a half to come to terms on a new contract.
If they don’t get it, they’ll be at the brewery, only they won’t be working – they’ll be picketing outside.
“They say we’re the lifeblood," said Anheuser-Busch Employee D.J. Edwards. "We run it, we run beer out the door. We provide good product to the customers. Now it’s time to treat us that way. It’s time to reward us.”
For Edwards, working at Anheuser Busch runs in the family.
“This is a multi-generational place," said Edward. "I’m one of three brothers that work here. My brother has a brother in law that works here. That’s just the tip of the iceberg for the families here.”
The days of him and his brothers heading in to work together everyday could be numbered if the union can’t come to terms with plant ownership.
“Right now what we’re fighting is, our families are hurting," Edwards said.
Jacksonville Teamsters President Russell Payne says negotiations with Anheuser-Busch started off well in November.
“We fought hard, and we were able to get a TA agreement, so we were able to end the two-tiered healthcare and better protections for our retirees, both pre and post-65 retirement," said Payne.
Payne says things have stalled since then, while the workers are still pushing for a wage increase, better pension plan and, above all, job security.
“Our proposal to the company is to maintain the current head count for employees across the nation as of December 2023," Payne said. "The company is not willing to meet those demands or even address those at the table.”
Payne says Saturday’s practice picket could be a preview of what’s to come, because if they don’t have a contract by the end of the month, they’ll be out there 24 hours a day, seven days a week until their concerns are addressed.
“If the company doesn’t decide they want to give us a contract, we’re prepared to walk out on the street and, unfortunately, these customers may have to go somewhere else to get their beer," said Payne.
Anheuser-Busch provided First Coast News the following statement:
"We’re aware of the Union demonstration at our Jacksonville Brewery, which is common during labor negotiations, and our top priority remains securing a contract that recognizes and rewards our hardworking employees and prioritizes long-term security for the best jobs in the beer industry; as a precautionary measure, we have a robust continuity plan in place to ensure we will continue bringing our industry-leading brands to our valued customers and consumers across the country."
The issue isn't isolated to Jacksonville. A group of employees at a Coors factory in Fort Worth went on strike Saturday.