HR’s lighter side: Trouble brewing over beer benefits
October 6, 2009 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Behavior, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Pay and benefits
Workers at Molson breweries are filing grievances over what they consider the last straw in curtailed benefits: a cutback in free beer.
You can cut hours. You can cut pay. You can cut health coverage. But you better leave my beer alone.
That’s the message Molson workers sent to management when the company announced it will no longer provide free beer to the company’s 2,400 retirees and will cut current workers’ allotment of suds.
Retirees at the company plants in New Foundland and Labrador were receiving up to 72 bottles a month gratis. That number will be scaled down to zero over a period of five years — just so nobody has to kick the habit cold turkey.
Things really came to, uh, a head when the company also informed current staffers that their annual allowance will drop from 864 free bottles a year to the miserly amount of 624 bottles a year.
Bill Bavis, who retired after 32 years with company, told reporters: “There was no consultation. We just received a letter that this is a done deal, which is totally unfair. I think with the economic downturn they’re trying to take advantage of us, as a way to cut retirees’ benefits and justify it.”
A Molson representative said the cutback would save the company about %1 million a year. But has anyone considered the incalculable effects on morale?
October 12th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I work for a beer distributor, and we haven’t gotten free beer for years. Just suck it up!
October 12th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Guess you were joking about kicking the habit cold turkey. But I really have to wonder about the potential dependence out there – just sayin’.
October 12th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Oh give me a break!
Call me when your health benefits or 401K away are taken away…
October 12th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
when you do the math, that amounts to 2.4 beers per day and will be cut to 2 beers per day. No one likes to see their benefits cuts, what is not known is this a contract negotiable item, and if it is, I would walk out and teach that big company a lesson, and would not come back to work until you got 3 beers a day,, if obamma gets ahold of this of a company trying to take away union benefits when he get through they wished they would have never done that, he will give them the GM and Chrysler whooping, and give the company to the union and then you can have a six pack per day, that is what I would do
October 13th, 2009 at 6:53 am
I think from the employees and retirees standpoint that they are viewing the cut-back on free beer the final straw. In this economy, workers realize that their pensions may be cut as well as their healthcare benfits. However, when the company takes away the very thing that the workers work hard to make each and everyday (the retirees all thier lives), it pretty much adds insult to injury. I bet this company trashes more product per year for whatever reasons (out of dates due to overselling or damaged containters) than it gives to its employees. By the way, I worked for a beverage company that would rather throw away perfectly good product because it was damaged rather than give it to the workers, talk about demoralization.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:17 am
There is a reason for disposal instead of gifting. The company gets to write off damaged or useless product on it’s taxes. If they give it away they must pay taxes on it as a benefit.
Tyrone, what world are you in? Maybe you had your limit of six packs before posting?
October 13th, 2009 at 11:34 am
I think Tyrone is right. Stand up and take control as workers. These brewing companies are throwing away perfectly good beer and the workers who manufactured it should have the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labors rather than the company pouring it down the drain and cashing in on a “useless product” and sticking it to the taxpayer.
DeWayne Washington
October 13th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Geeeez, this one is sooo easy. Just give them the beer. That is one mighty fine perk to working for a brewery and a good bbq brag to friends. I can see the brewery employee saying, “yeah, I have a lowly assembly line job but does your company give you free beer?” I would kill to have that free beer in my recruiting arsenal.
October 19th, 2009 at 11:49 am
While I understand that it is a perk, shouldn’t they be happy they have jobs? So many people would love to be in their position. Grow up people. Jen and Tom, you hit the nail on the head. I would rather work than have a benefit that is detrimental to my health. i.e. weight gain and alcoholism. Wake up and see the real world. They are lucky they are only losing a so called “perk”.