1953 Milwaukee brewery strike
| 1953 Milwaukee brewery strike | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | May 14 – July 29, 1953 (2 months, 2 weeks and 1 day) | ||
| Location | |||
| Goals |
| ||
| Methods | |||
| Resulted in | New labor contracts favorable to the union | ||
| Parties | |||
| |||
The 1953 Milwaukee brewery strike was a
Background
The city of
The strike affected six brewing companies in Milwaukee: Schlitz, A. Gettelman Brewing Company, Independent Milwaukee Brewery, Miller Brewing Company, Pabst Brewing Company, and the Valentin Blatz Brewing Company.[1]
Course of the strike
While the strike shut down brewing throughout the city, many bars and other drinking establishments in Milwaukee had a stockpile of beer, avoiding a potential shortage early on.[1] On June 1, despite making no concessions to Milwaukee employees regarding working hours, Schlitz offered workers at a brewery in Brooklyn a reduction in weekly hours from 37.5 to 35 and a pay increase of $0.66 per hour more than the base pay rate in Milwaukee. This action increased solidarity among the Milwaukee strikers.[4] As the strike continued into June, drinking establishments in Milwaukee began importing beer from different breweries brewed in places outside of Milwaukee, such as Peru, Indiana.[1] On June 26, Local 9 members voted 6,274 to 348 to reject a $0.15 hourly wage increase that had been offered by the breweries.[4] At the time, the brewing companies were beginning to hurt financially due to the strike. While Pabst and Schlitz had breweries in other locations, the other companies only operated breweries in Milwaukee, causing them to be more greatly affected by the strike.[4]
In late July, Blatz, whose only breweries were in Milwaukee,[4] broke with the other brewing companies and began to negotiate directly with Local 9 regarding a contract. Following this, the other companies followed suit and began to negotiate.[1] With Blatz having already secured an agreement with the union, the other companies were forced to accept the terms of the Blatz agreement, which included an hourly wage increase,[note 2] two additional holidays, improvements to the life insurance and pension plans, and a 30 minute paid lunch, among other things.[4] In total, the strike lasted 76 days,[1][9] ending on July 29.[9][note 3] On that day, union members voted approximately 3 to 1 to accept new labor contracts with the 6 brewing companies.[9]
Aftermath
Following the strike, Blatz was removed from the association representing the Milwaukee brewers for their "unethical" actions during the strike.[5][7][8] At the 1953 Schlitz company Christmas party, Schlitz president Erwin C. Uihlein said the following regarding the strike:[1]
Irreparable harm was done to the Milwaukee brewing industry during the 76-day strike of 1953, and unemployed brewery workers must endure "continued suffering" before the prestige of Milwaukee beer is re-established on the world market.
The strike contributed to Schlitz's rival Anheuser-Busch (based in St. Louis[1]) overtaking them in 1953 as the country's largest brewing company.[11][2] Both Anheuser-Busch and Schlitz competed for the top spot throughout the 1950s, and Schlitz had held it in the two years prior to the strike.[2] However, in the years following the strike, Schlitz would rebound and continue to grow, acquiring numerous smaller brewing companies during the 1960s.[11][2] They again held the top spot between 1955 and 1956.[2]
See also
Notes
- ^ One source gives the start date for the strike as May 15.[3]
- State Historical Society of Wisconsin gives the increase as $0.63.[4]
- ^ Sources vary somewhat on the exact length of the strike, with an earlier article in The New York Times titled "Milwaukee Brewery Strike Ends" dated July 27.[10] Other sources claim the strike lasted for 10 weeks,[7][8][5] 11 weeks,[3] and "nearly eight weeks".[6] The end date used here is the one reported by the Associated Press as being the day union members voted to accept new labor contracts.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wild 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Mittelman 2008, p. 152.
- ^ a b c d e Ozanne 1984, p. 95.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ozanne 1984, p. 96.
- ^ a b c Metro Washington Council AFL–CIO 2021.
- ^ a b c Foran 2017.
- ^ a b c Prosten 2021.
- ^ a b c CWA District 4 2016.
- ^ a b c d e The New York Times 1953b.
- ^ The New York Times 1953a.
- ^ a b Skilnik 2003, p. 544.
Bibliography
- "May 14". CWA District 4. May 14, 2016. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- Foran, Chris (May 1, 2017). "10 moments in Milwaukee's past – May". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gannett. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- "Today's Labor History". Metro Washington Council AFL–CIO. May 14, 2021. Archivedfrom the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- Mittelman, Amy (2008). Brewing Battles: A History of American Beer. New York City: Algora Publishing. ISBN 978-0-87586-574-4 – via Google Books.
- Ozanne, Robert W. (1984). The Labor Movement in Wisconsin: A History. Madison, Wisconsin: ISBN 978-0-87020-571-2 – via Google Books.
- Prosten, David (May 10, 2021). "This week in labor history: May 10-16". The Labor Tribune. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- Skilnik, Robert F. (2003). "Schlitz, Joseph, Brewing Company". In Blocker Jr., Jack S.; ISBN 978-1-57607-833-4 – via Google Books.
- "Milwaukee Brewery Strike Ends". ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the originalon June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- "76-Day Beer Strike Over; Milwaukee Brewery Workers Get 20-Cent Hourly Rise". ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the originalon June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- Wild, Matt (May 17, 2017). "Remembering the Great Milwaukee Brewery Strike of 1953". Milwaukee Record. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2021.