CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Around 50 members of the Teamsters Local 175 union who work for The Beverage Market have authorized a strike after unanimously voting to reject new concessionary proposals from the company.
The current contract between the union and The Beverage Market is expired.
This announcement comes less than a week after a separate Teamsters Local 175 dispute with Coca-Cola Consolidated. Drivers employed by Coca-Cola continued to drive trucks for the company after the previous contract expired. Teamsters Local 175 members unanimously authorized a strike, if necessary, in that situation as well.
The Beverage Market is located in Charleston, and distributes products such as Miller, Coors, Modelo and Red Bull to 30 counties in the state.
The union said The Beverage Market is asking for financial concessions from its employees related to wages, insurance, and retirement. Teamsters Local 175 claimed the company is asking for these concessions while not actually experiencing financial trouble.
The union slammed the concessionary proposals, calling them “ridiculous.” They mentioned one proposal from company asked for employee health premiums to be increased tenfold per week. Local 175 said that those price increases would cause losses of over $5 an hour to employees.
“These proposals are a clear sign of disrespect to the workers who drive this company’s success,” Local 175 President Steve Day said.
Day expressed displeasure not only with The Beverage Market, but with companies whose products are distributed by it.
“It surprises me that Miller/Coors would allow one of its distributors to jeopardize its business in WV with such punitive concessionary proposals,” Day said. “The Beverage Market’s behavior to their competitor, Spriggs Distributing, a Budweiser distributor, who comes in and negotiations fair deals.”