NJ Beer Workers Picket Outside Anheuser-Busch Brewery In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — Unionized beer workers picketed outside the Anheuser-Busch plant in Newark this week as a strike deadline for 5,000 members of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters inches closer.

Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser, Bud Light and other popular beer brands, is entrenched in increasingly tense contract negotiations with the Teamsters union, which represents employees at 12 of the company’s U.S. breweries.

The workers brew, package and ship Budweiser, Bud Light and other products. They also maintain breweries and equipment, and care for the company’s world-famous Clydesdale horses.

A strike deadline of March 1 – which has been authorized by workers – seems “unavoidable,” a union spokesperson said last week.

On Monday, more than 150 members of Teamsters Local 469 and their supporters held a “practice picket” outside the Newark brewery. The workers were joined by Teamsters Joint Council 73 President Al Rispoli, Local 469 President Mike Broderick, Teamsters from Locals 11, 97, 177, 469, 522, 560, 863 and the BLET, and U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. (NJ-8).

According to a statement from Teamsters Local 469, the workers are seeking higher pay, better job security, more secure benefits and increased retirement benefits. Workers are also seeking to get Juneteenth off as a paid holiday.

“This company has got to get its priorities straight,” Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien said last week.

“Anheuser-Busch made clear it is hellbent on destroying American jobs,” O’Brien charged. “They can throw billions of dollars at Super Bowl ads and Wall Street, but they can’t seem to bargain a contract that respects the Teamsters who do the real work inside these breweries.”

“They have a harsh reality awaiting them when Anheuser-Busch breweries are empty, and Teamsters are on the streets,” he added.

When contacted about Monday’s “practice picket” in Newark and the ongoing contract talks, an Anheuser-Busch gave Patch the following reply:

“Anheuser-Busch's iconic American brands will continue to be available to our valued customers and consumers across the country, and our top priority remains securing a contract that recognizes and rewards our hardworking employees and continues to provide the best jobs in the beer industry.”

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