Stone’s Fulton facility has been operational since 2016. (Mike Platania photo)
Two years after their employer was acquired by a multinational conglomerate, the local workers of Stone Brewing Co. are looking to unionize.
Earlier this week employees at the California-based brewery’s Richmond production facility launched a union drive. They’re working with Local 322 of the Teamsters, which filed a petition for the union on Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board.
The unionization effort comes two years after Stone was acquired by Japanese brewing giant Sapporo Holdings Ltd. in a $168 million deal. Stone, now technically called Sapporo-Stone Brewing, operates a 200,000-square-foot production facility in the city’s Fulton neighborhood. The plant has been gradually upgraded and expanded since opening in 2016.
The City of Richmond lured Stone here in 2014 with over $25 million in incentives to make Richmond the East Coast headquarters for the then-San Diego-based brewer. The company now has 140 workers across the Fulton facility and a Sandston warehouse Sapporo-Stone leased early last year. The union effort doesn’t include the workers at the Sandston warehouse.
Now that the petition has been filed, Stone employees are set to vote on the union at an NLRB-supervised election that will likely take place at the end of September.
Dwayne Johnson, director of organizing for the Teamsters Local 322, is working with the Stone employees on the effort and said that while he can’t disclose the exact number employees who have signed union cards, it amounts to more than 65 percent of the Richmond brewery’s workforce.
“It’s kind of an organizing rule: 65% is the threshold. You’re only required to have 30% by the NLRB,” Johnson said. “We want 70-80% or better. That way it sends a message to the company that (the workers) are a force to be reckoned with, it’s not a divided house, they mean business and you better take it seriously. Because at the end of the day, I don’t want a mediocre contract. I want a good, solid contract, and I want the company to take it seriously.”
Stone CEO Zach Keeling said in an emailed statement that the company “respect(s) the right of our team members to choose or not to choose whether they want to be represented by a union.”
“We agree with our team members’ desire for the best possible workplace and we believe this is best accomplished without a union. Taking care of our team is our number one priority,” Keeling’s statement concluded.
Sapporo’s beers started getting brewed locally last year. (BizSense file photo)
According to the NLRB petition the Teamsters filed, the union drive is open to Stone employees working in the brewing, maintenance, hospitality, packing, quality assurance and warehouse departments. Johnson said he delivered a letter demanding recognition of the union to Stone leadership on Aug. 26, the same day the petition was filed with the NLRB.
If the union vote passes, Johnson said they’ll begin collecting proposals from workers on what they’d like to see in a contract before heading to the negotiation table with Stone. He said Stone’s California employees are not unionized, but that Sapporo employees in Japan are, and that the Japanese union already has sent the Richmond workers a letter of support.
Johnson said kicking off the union drive marked a day of joy, albeit one that’s both fun and nerve-racking for workers.
“I think generally, most workers want a union and they’re just scared. It is a scary thing to go up against your bosses, especially with the economy we have,” Johnson said. “Money’s tight for a lot of folks. But they’re asking for more money because they need more money. The cost of living in Richmond has gone through the roof.”
Stone’s local union effort was first reported by booze industry trade publication Vinepair.
Stone’s Fulton facility has been operational since 2016. (Mike Platania photo)
Two years after their employer was acquired by a multinational conglomerate, the local workers of Stone Brewing Co. are looking to unionize.
Earlier this week employees at the California-based brewery’s Richmond production facility launched a union drive. They’re working with Local 322 of the Teamsters, which filed a petition for the union on Tuesday with the National Labor Relations Board.
The unionization effort comes two years after Stone was acquired by Japanese brewing giant Sapporo Holdings Ltd. in a $168 million deal. Stone, now technically called Sapporo-Stone Brewing, operates a 200,000-square-foot production facility in the city’s Fulton neighborhood. The plant has been gradually upgraded and expanded since opening in 2016.
The City of Richmond lured Stone here in 2014 with over $25 million in incentives to make Richmond the East Coast headquarters for the then-San Diego-based brewer. The company now has 140 workers across the Fulton facility and a Sandston warehouse Sapporo-Stone leased early last year. The union effort doesn’t include the workers at the Sandston warehouse.
Now that the petition has been filed, Stone employees are set to vote on the union at an NLRB-supervised election that will likely take place at the end of September.
Dwayne Johnson, director of organizing for the Teamsters Local 322, is working with the Stone employees on the effort and said that while he can’t disclose the exact number employees who have signed union cards, it amounts to more than 65 percent of the Richmond brewery’s workforce.
“It’s kind of an organizing rule: 65% is the threshold. You’re only required to have 30% by the NLRB,” Johnson said. “We want 70-80% or better. That way it sends a message to the company that (the workers) are a force to be reckoned with, it’s not a divided house, they mean business and you better take it seriously. Because at the end of the day, I don’t want a mediocre contract. I want a good, solid contract, and I want the company to take it seriously.”
Stone CEO Zach Keeling said in an emailed statement that the company “respect(s) the right of our team members to choose or not to choose whether they want to be represented by a union.”
“We agree with our team members’ desire for the best possible workplace and we believe this is best accomplished without a union. Taking care of our team is our number one priority,” Keeling’s statement concluded.
Sapporo’s beers started getting brewed locally last year. (BizSense file photo)
According to the NLRB petition the Teamsters filed, the union drive is open to Stone employees working in the brewing, maintenance, hospitality, packing, quality assurance and warehouse departments. Johnson said he delivered a letter demanding recognition of the union to Stone leadership on Aug. 26, the same day the petition was filed with the NLRB.
If the union vote passes, Johnson said they’ll begin collecting proposals from workers on what they’d like to see in a contract before heading to the negotiation table with Stone. He said Stone’s California employees are not unionized, but that Sapporo employees in Japan are, and that the Japanese union already has sent the Richmond workers a letter of support.
Johnson said kicking off the union drive marked a day of joy, albeit one that’s both fun and nerve-racking for workers.
“I think generally, most workers want a union and they’re just scared. It is a scary thing to go up against your bosses, especially with the economy we have,” Johnson said. “Money’s tight for a lot of folks. But they’re asking for more money because they need more money. The cost of living in Richmond has gone through the roof.”
Stone’s local union effort was first reported by booze industry trade publication Vinepair.
Well, if this bid is successful- we can kiss Stone goodbye. The geniuses can organize themselves on the unemployment line.
um, if you read the article you learned that Stone is owned by a Japanese company that is …. yes, unionized.
um, if you read the article you learned that Stone- in the People’s Republic of California is not unionized and the company does not support a unionized workforce.
lol spoken like a true corporatist. what company has ever encouraged employees to unionize – the very basis for unions is to establish increased bargaining power to force the employer to provide better pay and wages. The fact is the company that bought Stone is unionized. Evidently unions have been so disastrous for Sapporo that their 2023 earnings were only $3.5 Billion
Another $.25/hr for employees and a big pay raise for the union bosses already making well into 6 figures.
I like the 8 hour day and the 40 hour work week – thank you Unions!
I agree – workers of all trades benefit from unionization. I haven’t had a Stone product in years but if they’re pro-union, they’ll have my dollars.
The company you work for determines overtime not the union,the company can force you to work overtime weather you like it or not.
not if its negotiated into the union contract.
That’s literally slavery, no one can “force” you to work in America, unless you are in the military or in prison. And even the military you have to sign up for.
I hope you don’t manage anyone, but if you do you should read this: Overtime Laws by State | Overview, Map, and Beyond (patriotsoftware.com)
Moving to Richmond was the biggest mistake Koch & Co. ever made.
Thank heavens the city preserved a dilapidated riverside warehouse and kept Stone in litigation for years. And now an east coast union putting nails in the coffin.
Their iconic gargoyle couldn’t scare off the anti-business spirits.
Biggest mistake was Berlin.
This is absurd and uninformed.
The actual stupidest move that Koch & Co ever made was expanding to Berlin and making comments about how Stone needed to go to Europe to show them how to make beer. Check your facts at the door. Berlin closed in just a short time and was sold to another slightly less arrogant European brewery.
Unions give workers a collective voice, allowing them to negotiate better wages, benefits than they might achieve individually and typically push for safer working conditions, ensuring that employers adhere to safety regulations and take worker concerns seriously. They help to enforce fair treatment and prevent discrimination or favoritism in the workplace by ensuring that rules and policies are applied consistently.
Spoken like a true kool aide drinker
Sure. Like all the OT doled out to the union good ole boys.
Beer is dying, vultures feed last.
I bet you still believe trickle down economics works…
I do…I would encourage you to take an entry level economics course
Maybe that’s the problem… Your Econ 101 only gave you Neo-Liberal 101. Those failed policies are what led us to the gutting of the middle class and all our jobs sent to China. Union Workers made America great. It’s a shame that we have to refight these battles 100 years on.
Uh…. one of the big reason why the factories in the Union States closed was bc of the unions — it was easier for the companies to operate in China. Unions usually start off a good thing and then become part of corruption and anti-competitiveness. Neoliberalism just made that process easier. France makes it very hard, but there’s a cost to that too — France often has very high unemployment because French cos are afraid to hire people. Interestingly, the opposite dynamic exists in Denmark — it is even more at-will, easy to hire, easy to fire than is the… Read more »
A major shift is underway in manufacturing for U.S. companies (cnbc.com)
Workers made America great – unionized or not. The union bosses/insiders and political cronies turned their back on workers, killed the middle class and sent jobs abroad
..
You cannot be serious? maybe you should read about Yellow Freight. The TEAMSTERS KILLED THE COMPANY!
They went out of business at the bottom of a freight cycle when there was considerable industry overcapacity.” In fact, Yellow’s exiting the market actually helped the LTL sector. “With Yellow’s demise, the LTL portion of the market went from loose to snug in a weekend
spoken like someone who has never worked a blue collar job and benefited from the bargaining power of collective voices.
Teaching and gov’ment work is blue collar? Who knew?
“If the union vote passes, Johnson said they’ll begin collecting proposals from workers…”
They’ll also begin collecting Union Dues – enjoy!
Yes,the more money you earn,the more you pay your union.
The company still determines overtime.
In the skilled trades, think pipefitting, welders, electricians, etc, unions are probably a net positive since they are heavily involved in the training that makes those trade skilled. The Teamsters represent a lot of jobs that are physically tolling, but also in heavily fragmented and competitive industries.
Overall, I am ambivalent. I barely drink beer and cannot recall the last time I had a Stone IPA or Arrogant Bastard. It’s a private sector union and they still must respond to market forces.
The most sensible comment on here. Anheuser-Busch (inbev) breweries are unionized in the US and they still reported a gross profit of $31+ billion last year. I think the market certainly allows for Sapporo-Stone to be highly profitable while maintaining a unionized work force that is fairly compensated and treated respectfully. I’m not necessarily surprised at the anti-union sentiment on a business focused site, but again to the point of responding to market forces, if unions were ruining everything as some allege, they probably wouldn’t exist anymore either. It’s also worth noting that some companies have been wildly successful while… Read more »
Surprised absolutely zero that pro-union sentiments are raking in the down arrows on this site. Facts are facts though – Union employees on average have higher pay (even after paying union dues), have more job security, have better retirement benefits, and better access to health care through self-funded ERISA based health plans. Its no shock that income disparities skyrocketed and real wages stagnated as union membership decreased in the decades since Reagan was president. A US treasury study showed that union presence in industries lead to increased wages for union and non union employers.
Unions operate as legal labor cartels. They control the supply of labor in an industry so they can drive up wages. Union members benefit, but those costs get passed on as higher prices. The price hikes make non-union consumers poorer. Higher prices result in reduced sales. Lower sales mean fewer jobs in that industry. Unions, like all cartels, benefit their members at the cost of greater losses to the rest of society. See all the high growth, low tax/regulation, RED, RTW states that attract businesses and employees and all the low growth, high tax/regulation, Blue, pro-union states that are losing… Read more »
The workers at Stone should pay attention to the marketplace. Beer consumption is down, and craft breweries in RVA have been closing. Why would the Stone workers want to jeopardize their jobs?
fair point although most of the craft breweries who have closed remained independently owned while Stone, Devil’s Backbone and others are now owned by large brewing conglomerates