Nearly 5,000 Teamsters members across Anheuser-Busch InBev’s U.S. facilities have voted to authorize a strike if a new contract is not in place when the current one expires on February 29.
So far, negotiations are not scheduled.
The strike authorization received 99% of the vote and members have held rallies in New Hampshire, California and Florida. Teamsters members account for more than 25% of A-B’s workforce across its 12 production facilities, according to CNN.
“Teamsters stand firm in our fight for the best contract at Anheuser-Busch, and this powerful strike vote proves it,” Teamster president Sean O’Brien said. “Our members’ labor, talent, and sacrifice are what put Anheuser-Busch products on the shelf, and we are committed to getting a contract that rewards and recognizes their hard work. If Anheuser-Busch’s executives can’t get their act together to negotiate an agreement that respects workers, we will see them out on the streets.”
A-B Teamsters secured a win last month when the company agreed to end tiered pricing for healthcare plans and restored plans for retirees. Now, the union is seeking to enhance job security and improve wages, it said in a press release.