Manhattan Beer says delivery worker strike is over in NYC
Manhattan Beer says this week's delivery worker strike has come to an end in New York City and the nearby suburbs. The distributor announced an agreement Thursday morning.
"We're pleased to announce we've reached an agreement and the strike is over," a spokesperson for Manhattan Beer and Beverage Distributors said in a statement.
A union representative said the agreement still needs to be ratified, but called the new contract a "significant victory" that "protects and improves the pensions."
Some 600 union drivers, who service more than 15,000 bars, stores and restaurants in the city and 10 suburban counties, walked off the job Tuesday.
The workers had alleged MBBD contacted them directly to build support for switching from a pension fund to a 401(k) plan. The National Labor Relations Board said it is investigating the allegation.
The workers also called for additional drivers on trucks and said deliveries, especially in difficult weather, can be back breaking.
MBBD is the exclusive distributor of Corona, Modelo and Heineken, and the company holds the distribution rights for some 300 brands.
With the holiday weekend and then Cinco de Mayo coming up, some businesses said they were already feeling the impacts of missed deliveries.