Labor Pains: Because Being in a Union can be Painful

Teamsters Bosses Crying in Their Beer

Depending on the level of your love for beer, you may know the name Yuengling. It’s something of a regional treat, and it’s been produced by a family-owned company for generations. Recently, employees there decided to kick out Teamsters bosses as their representative. The Teamsters, in turn, are alleging the company must have threatened workers — after all, they said, how else could you explain the employees kicking them out?

It’s an interesting insight: how could people not love us? We’re the Teamsters! The Associated Press has bellied up to the bar and found one beer-drinking patron who said he wouldn’t be following the union’s call for a boycott. As he said, “If the union gets decertified, it’s because they’re not adding value.”

It may be even worse than simply not adding value. While it doesn’t look like there’s been any impact yet from the boycott, a company spokesman said the union is actually hurting members elsewhere:

The Teamsters “are hurting their own membership with this nonsense,” he said. “Our brands are a significant source of income for wholesalers all over the state, many of whom are union houses, and I’ve not had one house throw our brand out.”  

Categories: Ending Secret BallotsSEIU