Teamsters secure higher wage, pension for area MillerCoors workers

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=10343

BY JOHN-LAURENT TRONCHE
June 02, 2009

Fort Worth employees of MillerCoors will get wage and pension increases over the next three years after teamsters ratified the new contracts, which will affect 900 works in North Texas and at another brewery in Eden, N.C.

The contracts were approved Saturday, and negotiations continue for workers at another MillerCoors plant in Irwindale, Calif.

“Our members overwhelmingly ratified these contracts at MillerCoors because they provide stability for their families,” said Jack Cipriani, director of the Teamsters Brewery and Soft Drink Workers Conference and international vice president, in a statement. “For the next three years, our members at MillerCoors know that their wages and pension benefits will increase, which is saying a lot in today's economy.”

According to a press release from The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, MillerCoors management sought to impose higher health care co-pays on the organization’s members, however, the union won and health care costs won’t increase until the second and third years. Also, there will be no premiums for retirees during the three-year contract.

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