Bars, bodegas and brew-lovers were staring down a potential major beer distribution disruption this week, but they can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Manhattan Beer & Beverage Distributors and its workers have agreed to a contract, the company told Crain’s this morning. It did not share details of the agreement but said the strike is over.
The agreement comes after hundreds of workers at Manhattan Beer & Beverage Distributors walked off the job on Tuesday and pledged to strike until negotiators reached a new contract agreement with management.
Manhattan Beer is the city’s largest beer distributor and responsible for the local delivery of over 300 beer brands, including Corona, Heineken, Blue Moon, Modelo and Sam Adams.
Workers with the Laundry, Distribution, and Food Service Joint Board Workers United/SEIU went on strike at four of the five Manhattan Beer sites around New York. Some were picketing outside the company’s Bronx headquarters.
The distributor has about 1,640 employees, making it the region’s 35th largest privately held company, but not all of those workers went on strike. It’s not clear how many workers walked out.
The union had alleged that the employer was pushing employees to ditch pension plans in favor of 401(k) plans, which they saw as a downgrade, among other grievances.
A source familiar with management’s perspective told Crain’s they disagreed with that framing and insisted the pension program was broken, hence their push toward 401(k) plans.
As of Wednesday, Manhattan Beer founder and CEO Simon Bergson said disruptions had been minimal, though local media outlets reported there were signs of shortages at some local businesses around New York.
