Political Battle Brewing After Yuengling Banned From Wolf Inauguration
By Paul Kurtz
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Partisan politics appears to have seeped into the inauguration for Pennsylvania Governor-Elect Tom Wolf -- and beer is at the center of this battle.
Troegs and Philadelphia-based Yards are among the Pennsylvania breweries donating beer to next Tuesday's inaugural gala. But Yuengling, the Pottsville-based brewery, has been left off the list. And Republicans are crying foul. They believe the Democratic administration is boycotting Yuengling because of the company's anti-union stance. Owner Dick Yuengling is a supporter of so-called right to work laws.
A spokeswoman for the governor's inaugural committee reportedly has declined to say either way whether it's a deliberate snub. Dan Grace, the head of Teamsters local 830, says he hopes it is.
"It just shows that Governor Wolf is going to stand up for the little guy," he says. "He's against the anti-worker, anti-union stance that some employers think is the right attempt in today's world."
Grace is also a member of Wolf's transition team. In 2006 local 830 voted to decertify under pressure from Yuengling, according to Grace.
The company insists the vote was voluntary.
Yuengling has been brewing beer in Pennsylvania since 1829