Ongoing Strike Provoked by U.S. Manufacturer Raises Questions over Beer Can Supplies

Six-month strike at Crown Holdings plant in Toronto causing uncertainty over supply of cans to beer, soft drink and food producers

TORONTO, Feb. 25, 2014 /CNW/ - Workers forced onto the picket line six months ago at the Crown Holdings manufacturing plant in Toronto say the protracted labour dispute is threatening reliable supplies of cans to beer, soft drink and food producers.

"We believe that using replacement workers is causing problems with quality control, shipment returns and failed efforts to operate the plant," said Lawrence Hay, a representative of the United Steelworkers (USW) members on strike at the Crown factory in Toronto.

"Crown Holdings' customers, such as MolsonCoors, Labatt, Cott, Morgan Foods and Baxters Canada should be increasingly concerned over whether they can count on Crown as a reliable supplier of quality cans," Hay said.

Beer manufacturers are particularly vulnerable to a lack of stable supply as the busier spring and summer seasons approach, bringing increased demand for canned beer, he noted.

The Crown Holdings plant in Toronto is the U.S.-based company's largest facility in Canada. Employees have been on the picket line since September 2013, to resist Crown's demands for dramatic concessions.

In addition to recruiting replacement workers to try to run its Toronto plant, Crown has been importing cans from its U.S. plants to meet customer demand, the USW believes.

Can plants are regional and are generally built near food and beverage producers, because cans, especially aluminum beverage cans, are difficult and are prohibitively expensive to ship, Hay said.

"Importing replacement workers and incurring costs to ship cans - and risking the loss of its customer base in Canada - shows the lengths that Crown's management will go to try to break our union."

The USW is closely scrutinizing Crown's performance and reporting of losses and will be in direct contact with corporate shareholders and customers alike to ensure they are informed, Hay said.

For more details on the Crown strike and the USW's campaign, as well as videos and other information, see www.takebacksnomore.ca.

SOURCE: United Steelworkers (USW)

Lawrence Hay, USW Staff Representative, 416-807-8792, [email protected]
Alexandra Eshelman, USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-570-9984, [email protected]
Bob Gallagher, USW Communications, 416-544-5966, 416-434-2221, [email protected]