Wyandanch, NYC beer delivery workers on strike over pension dispute

Hundreds of Long Island beer delivery workers in Wyandanch, along with their counterparts across New York City, went on strike Tuesday against one of the biggest regional beer distributors over alleged unfair labor practices and a pension dispute.

The strike comes after the union, Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board Workers United, and Bronx-based beer distribution company, Manhattan Beer & Beverage Distributors, were in the process of negotiating a new three-year contract, union officials said.

The contract expired at midnight, union officials said.

After the union authorized the strike, roughly 600 delivery and warehouse workers at four locations, including over 100 in Wyandanch, went on strike at 3 a.m., said Alberto Arroyo, co-manager of the delivery workers’ union.

"A small committee of union members has decided to proceed with this strike without putting forth our offer to a vote of the full membership,” Simon Bergson, founder and CEO of Manhattan Beer said in a statement Tuesday. “It is disappointing that the union has encouraged a strike without presenting this offer to its members.”

“We are working for a swift resolution and hope for minimal disruption of services," Bergson said. 

At the core of the dispute, the union said, is the company’s attempts to move from a pension plan to a 401(k) plan. Arroyo said employees are negotiating to increase the company's contribution to pensions by $1.50 an hour.

Additionally, he said, the company was speaking to employees about potential changes to the plan without the union's bargaining committee being present.

“The company, from the get-go, started direct dealing with members, giving them information without the union and without the bargaining committee, trying to convince them and confuse them to give up their pensions for a 401(k),” Arroyo said.

On Friday, the union filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board alleging unfair labor practices on the part of Manhattan Beer. The NLRB oversees union elections and adjudicates in matters concerning labor rights. 

Workers at locations in the Bronx, Suffern, and Ridgewood also were on strike Tuesday, Arroyo said. Wyandanch workers deliver beer to Long Island grocery stores, restaurants and large retailers like Costco. 

Longtime employee Ismael Otero, 54, a shop steward who has worked at the Wyandanch facility for 17 years, said bargaining on the new contract — which began in March — has been stymied by the company's push for a 401(k) system. 

“They just kept attacking the pensions. That’s our security," Otero said. "We’re not willing to let that go."

Manhattan Beer & Beverage Distributors has over 350 trucks, over 1 million square feet of warehouse space, and the distribution rights to 300 brands, according to the company's website. The company distributes well-known beer brands such as Corona, Modelo and Coors.