"We've received multiple, multiple calls on a daily basis from across Canada on whether we're in support of a boycott of Moosehead Breweries and their products. We're here to emphatically state, absolutely not." - Jeff Stoddart, Local 362
Saint John (17 Mar. 2011) - Members of the New Brunswick Union of Public and Private Employees (NBUPPE/NUPGE) who are in their fourth week of a lock out by Moosehead Breweries Ltd. want people to keep drinking the beer coming from their west side plant - even if they're not the ones making it.
"We've received multiple, multiple calls on a daily basis from across Canada on whether we're in support of a boycott of Moosehead Breweries and their products," Jeff Stoddard, president of the Brewery Workers Local 362, a local of NBUPPE/NUPGE, said at a union press conference.
"We're here to emphatically state, absolutely not."
Workers were locked out by the employer when the management team walked away from bargaining. At issue is management’s desire to force workers in cost-sharing post-retirement health benefits. Health and welfare benefits are considered deferred wages since they are often negotiated in lieu of other items.
It has been a difficult few weeks as many of the members are long-time workers at the brewery. “The company’s success has been due to the family approach of working together. In negotiations – like a family - you follow and trust the process. We are astonished by the “lock out” tactic used by the company. ”
You can help support the locked out workers on the line by sending messages of solidarity to them.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE
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