Coors strike and boycott
A multi-group boycott and strike against Coors Brewing Company.
Starting in the late 1960s, a local boycott against the Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado, eventually grew into a nationwide movement that lasted into the mid-1980s. The campaign was launched in 1966 by two Hispanic groups—the Colorado chapter of the American GI Forum and the Denver-based Crusade for Justice—who objected to the company’s discriminatory hiring practices against Hispanics and African Americans, as well as the Coors family’s backing of right-wing political causes. Over time, the boycott spread across much of the American West, drawing in Hispanic, African American, women’s rights, labor, and LGBT activists. The LGBT community opposed Coors’ use of polygraph tests during hiring, which they believed allowed discrimination against queer individuals. In San Francisco, an alliance between the city’s LGBT community and the Teamsters union helped push the boycott, with activists Harvey Milk and Cleve Jones playing prominent roles.
In April 1977, over 1,500 workers at Coors’ flagship Golden brewery, represented by Brewery Workers Local 366, went on strike over non-economic issues, including the company’s polygraph testing and its 21 grounds for dismissal. Shortly after, the AFL-CIO launched a nationwide boycott. The strike lasted more than 20 months, but most union members eventually returned to work without a contract after Coors hired strikebreakers. The following year, a company-initiated vote dissolved the local union. Despite this, the AFL-CIO continued its boycott. By the 1980s, Coors began making deals with minority groups to increase business with minority-owned companies and hire more minority workers, but the boycott persisted and expanded to include groups like the National Organization for Women and the National Education Association. In August 1987, the AFL-CIO ended the boycott after Coors agreed to use union labor for a new Virginia facility and allowed an expedited union vote at its Golden plant. In December 1988, workers at the Golden brewery voted against unionizing by more than two to one.
The strike and boycott hurt Coors financially. Its market share in several western states dropped from over 40 percent to as low as 17 percent in California. The boycott may have also pushed the company to expand nationally, growing from 11 states in 1975 to 49 states by 1988.
Quick Facts
- Location
- Golden, Colorado, United States
- Goals
- Change in grounds for dismissal / End to polygraph testing
- Methods
- Strike action / Picketing / Walkout
- Result
- Strikebreakers and union members hired without labor contracts / Workers vote to decertify local union
- Causes
- Disagreements over content of new labor contract
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The boycott began in 1966 as a regional affair coordinated by the Colorado chapter of the American GI Forum and the Denver-based Crusade for Justice. These two Hispanic groups initiated a boycott due to the Coors Brewing Company's discriminatory practices that targeted Hispanics and African Americans. Additionally, they opposed the Coors family's support of right wing political causes. Soon afterward, the boycott expanded through much of the American West. By the 1970s, the boycott covered much of Coors' market area and involved Hispanic, African American, and women's rights groups, as well as labor unions and LGBT activists. The latter group opposed Coors' practice of using a polygraph test during their hiring process, which they alleged allowed them to discriminate against LGBT individuals. In San Francisco, the city's LGBT community and the Teamsters union allied to promote the boycott that involved noted gay rights activists Harvey Milk and Cleve Jones.
In April 1977, members of Brewery Workers Local 366, which represented over 1,500 workers at the company's flagship Golden, Colorado brewery, went on strike over noneconomic issues related to, among other things, the company's use of polygraph testing and their 21 grounds for dismissal. Shortly after the strike started, the AFL-CIO initiated a nationwide boycott of Coors. The strike lasted for over 20 months, during which time a majority of the union members went back to work without a contract after the company began replacing strikers with strikebreakers. The company initiated a vote the following year over whether the local union would be dissolved, with a majority of workers voting to dissolve Brewery Workers Local 366. Despite this, the AFL–CIO continued their boycott.
Reader's Guide
The strike and boycott had a direct economic impact on Coors. The company's market share in several western states dropped from over 40 percent to as low as 17 percent in the case of California. Additionally, the boycott may have encouraged the company to expand nationally, as the company expanded its presence from 11 states in 1975 to 49 states by 1988. By the 1980s, Coors began making deals with several minority groups to do more business with minority companies and hire more minority workers. Despite this, the boycott continued and expanded to include numerous other groups, such as the National Organization for Women and the National Education Association. However, in August 1987, the AFL–CIO agreed to end the boycott, with Coors making several concessions that included using union labor to build a new facility in Virginia and an agreement to an expedited union vote at its Golden facility. In December 1988, workers at the Golden brewery voted against unionizing by a margin of over 2 to 1. In the LGBT community, the boycott left a lasting impact, as several groups and activists still object to Coors over the company's past actions and the family's continued support of conservative politics. As late as 2019, Coors beer was difficult to find in any gay bar in San Francisco.
Did You Know?
- The boycott began in 1966 by the Colorado chapter of the American GI Forum and the Crusade for Justice.
- The 1977 strike involved over 1,500 workers and lasted over 20 months.
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