Budweiser gets 6 million property tax cut, then uses labor from outside the county for repairs

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2014/11/roofers_union_protests_use_of_non-union_workers_at_anheuser-busch_brewery_in_lys.html

By Rick Moriarty | [e-mail]
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on November 11, 2014 at 4:29 PM, updated November 11, 2014 at 5:14 PM

Lysander, N.Y. — The United Union of Roofers is protesting Anheuser-Busch's use of a non-union Binghamton contractor to repair the roof at its brewery near Baldwinsville.

Two members of Roofers Local 195 stood at the entrance to the brewery on Route 31 in Lysander for three and a half hours Tuesday, handing out leaflets protesting the hiring of Binghamton Slag Roofing, a non-union contractor based in Binghamton, 73 miles south of Syracuse. The company is a sub-contractor working on the brewery's roof.


Ronald Haney, left, business manager of United Union of Roofers Local 195, and Gary Swan, an organizer with the union, stand in front of the Anheuser-Busch Inc. brewery in Lysander Tuesday morning. The two handed out leaflets protesting the brewery's use of a non-union contractor to repair the brewery's roof. (Rick Moriarty | [e-mail])

Ronald Haney, business manager for the union, said the beer makers should use local contractors to keep jobs in the community.

Snip: While the company has no legal obligation to use local contractors for the roofing work, Haney said the company should do so in light of a property tax deal it cut with local governments in 2011. The deal cut the company's property taxes by $6 million over 15 years.

FULL story at link.

[Sherman A1]

1. Sad,

not surprising, but sad.....

[Sienna86]

2. Why didn't the deal require local contractors?

That's part of the problem here.

[whathehell]

8. An excellent question..

but I would boycott Bud, anyway.

[Historic NY]

10. The contracter is local....

its who is the sub-contractor doing the hiring. Its pretty typical here, 2 guy w/o a blow up rat aren't getting much attention. Check out some of the comments in the paper.

[Omaha Steve]

13. You mean the conservative anti-union posts?

I just want to be sure your in their camp?

[Historic NY]

15. Just pointing out the typical responces....

we have a can plant here and the Teamseter Union protested left and right when AB built it...it still got built and they only pay a "pilot" locally. Seeing the Teamsters represent that plant, they are silent.

[Omaha Steve]

16. Thanks

I thought that was what you were getting at. I just wasn't sure.

[B Calm]

3. Why did a profitable company like Budweiser need a tax cut?

[whathehell]

7. Yes, that's an excellent question..

[Sunlei]

4. they sold to a Dutch corp. a couple years ago?

[rurallib]

14. yep - InBev

International Beverage.

[TRoN33]

5. Yet another good reasons to not drink Bud anymore. Oh it tastes like piss from 1%ers. Bad taste....

Craft-made beers in local charters are the best. There are three in Brattleboro, VT and they're the best!

[whathehell]

6. Sucks, but sounds like "business as usual" in contemporary America.

[deutsey]

9. I heard economist Richard Wolff say recently

that the point of capitalism is to make money for capitalists, not to create jobs that benefit people.

This seems to be a good example of that.

Property taxes cut=Mo' money.

Cheap, non-labor workers from outside a community that could use the work=Mo' money.

The classes are all in their proper places and all is right(wing) with the world.

[drm604]

11. The mistake here is expecting a corporation to do the right thing.

Profits always trump justice, morality, ethics, honesty, and fair dealing. This is why we need regulations and unions. Corporations will almost never do the right thing when they can make more money by doing the wrong thing.

[kchamberlin25]

12. My ex wife was from Binghamton

Must be they all suck lol