New York City is waking up to a beer shortage.
Hundreds of delivery workers at Manhattan Beer & Beverage Distributors walked off the job at midnight Tuesday, launching a strike that could leave bars, restaurants and retailers across the Big Apple without some of their most popular beer brands.
The walkout follows the collapse of negotiations over pensions. Union leaders say the company insisted workers abandon their traditional retirement plans in favor of individual 401(k)-style accounts — a shift the union claims would expose employees to financial risk and erode hard-won benefits.
“Manhattan Beer should not be violating the law, committing unfair labor practices and trying to freeze our pensions,” said Joe Gonzalez Jr., a delivery worker, in a statement reported by the New York Post. “No one should raise a glass to this kind of behavior.”
The strike is already affecting at least four major warehouses and has disrupted shipments of brands including Corona, Modelo, Blue Moon, Coors and Sam Adams — all distributed under exclusive licenses by Manhattan Beer. With deliveries halted, many businesses are expected to run out of stock within days.
Founded 46 years ago, Manhattan Beer operates more than 350 trucks and distributes over 300 beverage labels. The company, which generated more than $430 million in annual revenue last year, has not issued a public statement on the strike.
A source cited by the Post said the company attempted to negotiate directly with workers in recent days — a move that prompted the union to file an unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
The union has also called on Manhattan Beer to contribute an additional $1.50 per hour per worker to maintain the existing pension system, covering both current employees and future hires.
With no agreement in place, and the summer season approaching, the city’s supply of cold beer is suddenly on ice.
