2016 Jim Beam strike

The primary concerns of the members involved included, among other issues, job security, scheduling, overtime, and the hiring of temporary workers in lieu of permanent, full-time employees.

The strike continued for approximately one week, during which time the company instituted a contingency plan that allowed the distilleries to remain in operation.

Among the provisions of the contract were the elimination of a pay difference between union members, a cap on temporary workers at 25 percent of the total workforce, and a commitment to hire at least 27 full-time employees.

[1] In the 2010s, the state was responsible for about 95 percent of worldwide bourbon production,[2][3] and during this time the industry experienced a significant period of growth fueled primarily from investments from large alcohol companies such as Diageo and Heaven Hill.

[4] They formed a subsidiary called Beam Suntory, which operated several distillery facilities in Kentucky and was the largest producer of bourbon in the world.

[8] On October 11, after 33 days of negotiations over the terms of a new contract (which included the participation of a federal mediator), a proposed agreement was submitted for a vote by rank and file union members.

[2] Several days after the vote, a union official stated that points of contention included vague contract language, job security, seniority, and scheduling.

[13] Speaking to the New York Post, food writer Fred Minnick stated that the workers were increasing their leverage by threatening a strike at that time as opposed to during the middle of the year when production slows down.

[14] An article in Labor Notes states that this contract would have increased wages for about 50 of the lower-paid employees by up to 35 percent, but a Local 111D member interviewed by the magazine claimed that only about five of those workers voted in favor of the deal.

[23] Officials from both the union and company stated that the resolution to the strike was due in large part to good faith discussions and bargaining between the two.