The Brewers Association (BA) has published the complaint process for violations of the code of conduct its board of directors approved over the summer and named the three members of the complaint review board.
“Only together can we foster a diverse and collegial craft brewing community,” board chair Dan Kleban and president and CEO Bob Pease wrote Wednesday in an email to members. “We deeply appreciate your membership, support, feedback, and participation as we move forward together toward a positive future.”
The code of conduct, complaint process and an amendment to the BA’s bylaws that allow for the removal of members who violate the code were developed over the summer in response to mounting pressure via social media for the BA to discipline member breweries for racist incidents.
In August, the BA published the code of conduct, which detailed expectations for member behavior in four areas: compliance with law, respect for the individual and groups, responsible alcohol consumption, and responsible alcohol marketing. The BA specified that members must “treat all individuals and groups respectfully, recognizing their human dignity, regardless of their diverse human characteristics: race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental disability, size or appearance, genetic pre-disposition, religion, ancestry, national origin, or veteran status.”
A month later, board members shared the complaint process during a town hall meeting. Only members of the BA’s professional brewing division are authorized to file complaints, but other members may sign onto those complaints. After a complaint is filed, the three members of the code of conduct complaint review panel have 60 days to vet it.
The BA also shared the names of its code of conduct complaint review panel. The panelists include Dr. LaNita Gregory Campbell, director of the Office for Racial and Cultural Engagement at Emory University; Gloria Materre, former executive director of the Illinois Liquor Control Commission and principal for Materre & Associates law firm; and Jeremy White, an attorney specializing in wage and hour and employment discrimination.
If two of the three panelists agree a complaint has merit, they elevate it to the BA board of directors, which has 30 days to determine the action taken. Possible punishments for violations include censure, remedial action, removal from the BA for a set period of time or indefinite removal.
Complaints about infractions that happened before August 6, 2020, will not be considered.