About 70 workers at the Budweiser beer distribution facility in the Bronx, N.Y., voted to join UFCW Local 2D on March 10—marking the first beer wholesale salesforce to join our union in the U.S. Budweiser is a global brand of Anheuser-Busch and the facility is owned by Southern Glazer’s Beverage Company.
The workers, who are employed as sales representatives, portfolio managers and on-premise draft technicians, sell Budweiser beer to supermarkets, delis, service restaurants, hotels, sporting venues, airports and casinos. They joined our union because they were concerned about cuts to benefits and compensation after the facility was purchased by Southern Glazer’s Beverage Company.
The campaign to organize these workers began after UFCW Local 2D President Stephen Booras was contacted by one of the Budweiser sales representatives about workplace concerns. Booras and UFCW Local 2D staff maintained communication with the workers via phone calls and Zoom meetings about the benefits of joining our union. Members of UFCW Local 2D who work as sales representatives at other beverage facilities also reached out to the Budweiser workers about the benefits of being a member of UFCW Local 2D.
“UFCW Local 2D is proud to welcome the first beer wholesale salesforce to our union,” said Booras. “Our local takes pride in trying to make sure that every member is heard and able to achieve a contract that includes workplace protections. This is an important victory for the UFCW’s Distillery Division.”