Teamsters Union members carried their opposition to Molson Coors Brewing Co.‘s plan to close its Eden, N.C., brewery to the company’s annual meeting, protesting outside and raising questions in the meeting.
The decision to close Eden was announced Sept. 14, 2015, just two days before the merger talks between SABMiller and AB/Inbev were formally disclosed to the public.
“We believe the decision to close the Eden, N.C., brewery was driven by Molson Coors to eliminate production capacity, drive up prices for consumers and harm industry competition in the U.S. market,” said David Laughton, Director of the Brewery Workers’ Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a long-term investor in Molson Coors.
“Molson Coors’s attack on American jobs will devastate North Carolina families and communities,” said Vernon Gammon, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 391, which represents the Eden workers.
The U.S. Justice Department is currently reviewing the proposed merger of SAB and ABI, as well as the related sale of SAB’s stake in the MillerCoors joint venture to Molson Coors.