Machine repair workers picketed outside of Milwaukee’s Miller Brewing Co. on Thursday, after their union voted to reject a new contract from Miller’s parent company, Molson Coors.
About 40 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers went on strike after rejecting a final offer from Molson Coors on their new contract on Tuesday.
The contract, which was up for renewal, included wage negotiations and changes that workers worried would threaten their work-life balance.
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“The guys were disappointed with the attack on our benefits and our work-life balance,” said union chair and machine repairman Chris Mecha. He added that Molson Coors made changes that could make it harder for mechanists to schedule vacation. “They went against our vacation allotments, so that they would black-out dates that we wouldn’t be eligible to take for vacation.”
In 2020, Molson Coors employed 1,290 people in Wisconsin. Mecha said his team of over 40 has shrunk by about half since he signed on 23 years ago.
“We’re down 16 guys with retirements over the last four years, they haven’t replaced them, and these guys have stepped up over the time to help the company out.” Mecha said.
He said the union hoped the new contract would raise hourly wages to attract new talent and compete with skilled trade jobs at other local companies like General Electric and Wisconsin Harley-Davidson. Mecha said other unions, like the Teamsters, have been supportive, and brought the picketers water and sandwiches.
A worker at the picket line said he worried the new contract could force overtime and make it more difficult to plan trips with his family. He asked WPR not to use his name for fear of retaliation.
“It’s a good company to work for. However, the work-life balance is disappearing more and more and more, and pretty soon it’s not going to be a great place to work for anybody,” he said.
He said he was frustrated with how the contract negotiation process went.
“Let’s negotiate a fair wage and just leave everything else alone,” he said. “Instead, they have to ram all this other crap in here that just strips your personal life away from your family.”
In company-wide meetings, leadership has emphasized the importance of work-life balance, he said. “But yet, our group completely gets s— on as far as work-life balance goes.”
He said the company is trying to hire contractors to keep the machines running while the machinists are striking — but said he’ll be out there “as long as it takes.”
Molson Coors said their offer was competitive.
“We’ve made a competitive offer that exceeds local-market rates for similar unionized roles and we’re hopeful for a resolution that benefits everyone. In the meantime, we don’t expect an impact to the availability of our products at retail,” said Adam Collins, chief communications officer for Molson Coors, in an email statement.
Miller Brewing Co. has been operating in Milwaukee for over 160 years.
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