Beer Delivery Workers Strike Over ‘Unfair’ Working Conditions 

 Several dozen workers who deliver beer and other beverages to nearly half of the counties in West Virginia are on strike.  

Employees of The Beverage Market in Charleston are striking over what they say are unfair working conditions and unreasonable changes in contracts.   

The workers are members of Teamsters Local 175. A company spokesman said they voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike earlier this month but worked without a contract while negotiations continued. Tuesday afternoon they officially walked off the job.  

“Things in the contract that we have fought for 20 years to include in this contract, the company is just proposing to take that away without really articulating any reason in negotiations,” said Luke Farley, secretary-treasurer for Local 175. “The company is proposing concessions on just about every avenue – for example, trying to increase what employees pay for benefits by 900%, trying to find a way to have your spouse not be covered on your insurance, to significant portions of retirement they want to cut and take away from these employees.” 

The Beverage Market is the sole distributor for Miller-Coors products in several counties of West Virginia. It also distributes Modelo, Red Bull and several other beverages.  

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.