Teamsters make noise about Anheuser-Busch distributor’s union-busting practices

On the eve of the Belmont Stakes, Belmont Park joined the boycott of Anheuser-Busch distributor Clare Rose over the company’s labor practices and ongoing strike. Clare Rose drivers and warehouse workers, members of Teamsters Local 812, have been on strike since April 23, when, the group claims, the company illegally cut drivers’ wages by 30 percent and ended the workers’ pension.

Going forward, the beer vendor for Belmont Park is Manhattan beer, which will supply Coors products to replace the Anheuser-Busch products previously supplied by Clare Rose. Belmont Park notified Teamsters officials of the decision last week.

“This is a huge blow to Clare Rose and Anheuser-Busch,” said Ed Weber, president of Teamsters Local 812. “More and more on Long Island, Clare Rose and Anheuser-Busch are being associated with union busting and killing jobs. We thank Belmont Park for standing with Clare Rose workers. You shouldn’t be able to get away with hurting workers, and our New York institutions are showing you won’t get away with it in New York.”

Teamsters Local 812 negotiated with Clare Rose for months before the wage and benefits cuts, which caused the strike. After workers had been on strike less than one day, the Teamsters’ say the company sent them letters letting them know they were being permanently replaced and directing them to the National Right to Work Defense Fund for assistance quitting the union.