Syracuse, NY--Anheuser-Busch InBev said today that it has reached an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on the terms of a buyout package for union workers at the company’s U.S. breweries, including the one in Lysander. The company said it will offer about 300 packages to interested Teamster workers. The agreement provides for cash incentives based on years...
File photo by Dick Blume Anheuser-Busch trucks leaving the beer plant outside Baldwinsville, NY.
Syracuse, NY--Anheuser-Busch InBev said today that it has reached an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on the terms of a buyout package for union workers at the company’s U.S. breweries, including the one in Lysander.
The company said it will offer about 300 packages to interested Teamster workers. The agreement provides for cash incentives based on years of service for employees who voluntarily resign.
Eligibility for pension and healthcare benefits are based on provisions of the local labor contracts at each brewery, the company said.
Anheuser-Busch employs about 800 workers at its Lysander plant on Route 31. Its contract with the Teamsters runs through 2013.
Officials from Teamsters Local 1149, which represents workers at the Lysander brewery, could not be reached for comment.
The company operates 12 breweries in the U.S. Since staffing needs vary by brewery, and can fluctuate throughout the year, the company said it can’t say how many people will take advantage of the voluntary program.
The offer is designed to address overstaffing issues, Anheuser-Busch said. Breweries have had temporary layoffs as a result of changes in the operation, increased efficiency and fewer retirements to date than it had been anticipated, Anheuser-Busch said.
Workers had expressed an interest in a buyout program, the company said.
This is the first time buyouts have been offered to union workers. About 1,000 salaried workers, most of them located at Anheuser-Busch headquarters in St. Louis, took enhanced retirement packages just before international brewer InBev bought the company in 2008.
In December 2008, InBev announced plans to cut 1,400 salaried jobs from the Anheuser-Busch workforce.