International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, Soft Drink and Distillery Workers

Lore & Background

The union was founded in 1886 as the National Union of United Brewery Workmen. Its members were almost entirely Germans, and from 1886 to 1903 the union's convention and publications were in German. It affiliated with the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1887 and was given a very wide jurisdictional charter, making it one of the first industrial unions in the US. The union changed its name several times: in 1903 to the International Union of United Brewery Workmen of America, in 1917 to the International Union of United Brewery and Soft Drink Workers of America, and in 1920 to the International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal and Soft Drink Workers of America.

The Brewery Workers had a tumultuous relationship with the AFL, engaging in numerous jurisdictional disputes with unions representing firemen, teamsters and engineers from 1896 to 1907. The AFL revoked the union's charter in 1907, but reinstated it in 1909 with limitations. Prohibition in the United States significantly weakened the union beginning in 1920. After the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, jurisdictional disputes with the Teamsters hindered organizing and drained finances. In 1939, the Brewery Workers filed a charge with the AFL alleging Teamster infringement on the term 'Brewery Workers,' but AFL president William Green sided with the Teamsters and revoked the charter again in 1941. The union affiliated with the CIO in 1946 and changed its name to the International Union of United Brewery, Flour, Cereal, Soft Drink, and Distillery Workers of America. It fought a violent series of jurisdictional battles with the Teamsters in Pittsburgh, known as the 'Pittsburgh beer war,' which ended on April 2, 1947, and led to a congressional investigation. Several locals were involved in the 1949 New York City brewery strike. In 1953, Local 9 participated in the 1953 Milwaukee brewery strike, involving over 7,000 workers at six breweries lasting 76 days. The union joined the AFL–CIO in 1955 but continued losing members in the 1950s and 1960s due to battles with the Teamsters and the closing of local breweries as large national brewers expanded. From 1977 to 1978, Brewery Workers Local 366 went on strike at Coors Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado, as part of the larger Coors strike and boycott; the strike ended in failure and the local was dissolved.

Reader's Guide

The union's significance lies in its pioneering role as an early industrial union within the AFL and its long, bitter rivalry with the Teamsters, which shaped its trajectory and ultimately led to its merger. The jurisdictional disputes, including the violent Pittsburgh beer war, highlighted the intense competition between labor organizations for control of workers in the brewing and related industries. The union's experience with Prohibition demonstrated the vulnerability of a union tied to a single industry subject to legal prohibition. Its merger with the Teamsters in 1973 was controversial, prompting Milwaukee's Local 9, the largest local, to vote overwhelmingly to leave and affiliate directly with the AFL-CIO, eventually joining the United Auto Workers. The union's legacy includes its publication, Brewery Worker, published from 1886 to 1973, and its inclusion on the master list of Nixon's political opponents. Notable members included Karl Feller, who served as president in 1949.

Did You Know?

• The union's early conventions and publications were conducted entirely in German from 1886 to 1903.
• The AFL revoked the union's charter twice: in 1907 and again in 1941.
• The Pittsburgh beer war, a series of violent jurisdictional battles with the Teamsters, ended on April 2, 1947, and prompted a congressional investigation.
• When the union merged with the Teamsters in 1973, Milwaukee's Local 9 voted 2,447 to 27 to leave and affiliate directly with the AFL-CIO.