ST. LOUIS (KTVI) — Anheuser-Busch and the Teamsters Union reached a tentative agreement Wednesday on a new labor contract, avoiding a strike that might have started as early as Friday.
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters announced on its social media platforms that their negotiating committee went back to the table with Anheuser-Busch management Wednesday and hammered out a deal. The current five-year contract was going to expire at the end of the month.
“Teamsters at Anheuser-Busch will have big pay raises, better benefits, and job security under a strong agreement that benefits everyone. The Teamsters fought hard and made sure we got every single item that our members need and deserve,” Jeff Padellaro, director of the Teamsters, Brewery, Bakery, and Soft Drink Conference, said.
The agreement will go up for a vote next week for Teamsters.
The tentative deal improves pay, health care, and retirement benefits for all 5,000 Teamsters at A-B breweries nationwide.
According to the Teamsters, highlights of the agreement include:
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
- Significant job security for all 5,000 Teamsters at Anheuser-Busch, including brewers, packagers, and warehouse workers
- Wage increases of $8/hour, including an immediate $4/hour raise in the first year — average wage increases total 23 percent over the length of the agreement
- $2,500 ratification bonus for every member
- An end to two-tier health care, providing all workers with the same high-quality Teamsters health care coverage
- Increased pension contributions and benefits nationwide
- Increased maximum vacation accrual to 8 paid weeks
- Restoration of retirement benefits for active and retired members
Teamsters previously authorized a plan in December 2023 to strike if negotiations didn’t lead to a new union contract by Feb. 29, 2024.
Anheuser-Busch, headquartered in St. Louis, employs more than 4,500 people in the St. Louis region, and operates more than 120 facilities nationwide.
A-B owns 12 breweries nationwide, including sites in St. Louis, Los Angeles, Houston and Jacksonville, among others.
AB InBev, the brewery’s parent company, reported $32 billion in gross profits for fiscal year 2023, a four-year high.
