Workers picket outside the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls on Monday, July 10, 2023. A Teamsters representative said about 40 Leinenkugel's employees are striking over sub-par pay. A spokesperson for Molson Coors says the company has made a competitive offer. This appears to be only the second strike at Leinenkugel's since its founding in 1867—the other being a four-day walkout in 1985. (Photo by Salina Heller)
One striking worker says it was supposed to be the busiest week of the year, bottling the new batch of Oktoberfest, but the company claims the strike will have no impact on product supply.
For what appears to be only the second time in company history, workers at the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls are on strike.
First-shift workers cheered Monday morning as vehicles went by and honked in support.
“They’re tired of subpar wages,” Dan Boley, Teamsters Local 662 Union representative, said of the workers. “We’re looking for a fair contract.”
Boley said about 40 workers across the three shifts of brewery production have walked out.
Adam Collins, chief communications and corporate affairs officer of Leinenkugel’s parent company, Molson Coors, said in a statement to UpNorthNews, “We’ve made a competitive offer that exceeds local-market rates for similar unionized roles, and despite the circumstances, we’re hopeful for a resolution that benefits everyone. In the meantime, we don’t expect an impact to our product supply at retail.”
John McGillis, brewery employee of nearly 34 years, sees it differently. McGillis said this was slated to be the busiest week of the year for the plant, but there is no production going on.
“We’re supposed to start putting out Oktoberfest this week. McGillis said. “That won’t happen.”
McGillis said the striking employees include all the workers in bottling, keg-filling, filtration, shipping, and the brewhouse.
“They’re not putting out a single bottle of beer until we go back to work,” McGillis added.
According to a 2016 history book commissioned by the brewery, this would be only the second strike at the company—the only other strike was a four-day work stoppage in May 1985.
Boley said it’s unknown how long the strike will last. “We’re going to go until we feel they get what they deserve.”
“We’re so far apart, this could last quite a while. We are not getting competitive wages,” McGillis said.
Author
Support Our Cause
Thank you for taking the time to read our work. Before you go, we hope you'll consider supporting our values-driven journalism, which has always strived to make clear what's really at stake for Wisconsinites and our future.
Since day one, our goal here at UpNorthNews has always been to empower people across the state with fact-based news and information. We believe that when people are armed with knowledge about what's happening in their local, state, and federal governments—including who is working on their behalf and who is actively trying to block efforts aimed at improving the daily lives of Wisconsin families—they will be inspired to become civically engaged.
This billionaire’s PAC is spreading a big lie about Tammy Baldwin, Medicare, and taxpayer savings
Restoration PAC, funded by Uline’s Richard Uihlein, twists the significance of forcing Big Pharma to negotiate for lower bulk pricing on Medicare...
New Biden rules deliver automatic cash refunds for canceled flights, ban surprise fees
In the aftermath of a canceled or delayed flight, there’s nothing less appealing than spending hours on the phone waiting to speak with an airline...
Opinion: It’s time for Congress to fight for small businesses instead of big corporations
May is National Small Business Month. Our elected leaders need to show leadership all year long. For the past 27 years I’ve been fortunate to pursue...
Biden makes 4 million more workers eligible for overtime pay
The Biden administration announced a new rule Tuesday to expand overtime pay for around 4 million lower-paid salaried employees nationwide. The...
