Strike won’t affect bourbon supply, Jim Beam assures customers

Published 1:30 am Monday, October 17, 2016

Chicago Tribune

CHICAGO — A weekend strike at two Jim Beam distilleries in Kentucky will not leave bourbon lovers high and dry, the company said Monday.

Beam Suntory, which owns the Jim Beam brand and is headquartered in suburban Chicago, said it has an ample supply on hand and contingency plans in place to keep the bourbon flowing while it works to resolve the labor dispute.

A Beam spokeswoman on Monday said negotiations are ongoing, but declined to comment on what the contingency plans might entail.

More than 200 union workers at Beam distilleries in Clermont and Boston, Ky., went on strike Friday over staffing shortages and long hours — often 60 to 80 hours a week — to keep up with growing bourbon demand.

The striking bourbon workers are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 111-D.

“We are seeking a better work/life balance and a return to the family values and heritage upon which the Jim Beam brand is based,” Janelle Mudd, president of UFCW Local 111-D, said in a statement. “All of us work hard and have earned and deserve a better life.”

Beam met with a group of union associates late Sunday in what the company said was a “constructive session” to clarify points of disagreement, with negotiations scheduled to resume Tuesday, according to the union.