Anchor Workers Want to Save Their Brewery by Buying It

Unionized employees at Anchor Brewing Company, the oldest craft brewer within the United States, wish to purchase the 127-year-old firm and run it as a co-op to put it aside from shutting down, a union official stated.

The firm stated final week that financial pressures, together with the affect of the coronavirus pandemic, had left it “with no option but to make this sad decision to cease operations.” But workers, who got 60 days’ discover and promised severance packages, have proposed a solution to hold the beer flowing.

The employees have “decided to launch an effort to purchase the brewery and run it as a worker co-op,” in line with a proposal letter from the Anchor workers. Pedro de Sá, the enterprise agent at International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 6, whose members embrace employees at Anchor, despatched the proposal on Wednesday to Mike Minami, the president of Sapporo USA, which owns the corporate.

“All we want is a fair shot at being able to continue to do our jobs, make the beer we love, and keep this historic institution open,” the letter stated. “We do not want the brewery and brand we love to be sold off before we even had a chance.”

On Wednesday, the unionized Anchor employees posted a hyperlink to the VinePair article on Twitter: “Time to put everyone’s love of this brand to the test. Let’s work this out together and bring back what we’ve almost lost.”

Sam Singer, a spokesman for Anchor, didn’t touch upon the proposal on Thursday however stated that about two dozen buyers and people had expressed curiosity in buying the property of Anchor Brewing Co.

“It is heartening to see so many stepping forward to possibly carry on the tradition of an iconic San Francisco company and beer,” Mr. Singer stated. “We remain hopeful that Anchor will be purchased and continue on into the future, but it will be in the hands of the liquidator to make that decision and is dependent on what is offered by potential purchasers.”

The Japanese beer big Sapporo acquired the corporate, which was based in 1896, in 2017 for round $85 million. In 2019, Anchor employees voted to unionize, describing insufficient pay and unfair working circumstances.

Mr. de Sá stated in an interview on Thursday that he had met with the 39 employees who’re members of the union and who signify about two-thirds of the brewery’s work power. In a gathering on the plant on Wednesday, the staff had agreed to type a committee to have a look at bylaws and to pursue additional steps to compete for possession.

“There was agreement to form the co-op and try to pursue buying it from Sapporo, and we notified the company that same day,” Mr. de Sá stated. “We are hoping that the company will give the workers a fair shot.”

But the Aug. 2 begin of the liquidation course of for the corporate was looming.

“The timeline is very short,” Mr. de Sá stated. “As far as we know, the company is going to be sold for parts, and we want enough time to get in a serious bid.”

When the shutdown was introduced on July 12, I.L.W.U. Local 6 described it as a “tragic consequence” of a big company taking on a neighborhood establishment from a base throughout the Pacific Ocean and “failing to understand how to market, sell, and distribute a great product that has been loved for generations.”

Anchor has stopped brewing however has stated that it’s going to proceed to promote beer till it runs out or by way of the tip of July, whichever comes first. Anchor Public Taps would promote remaining stock.

After the news of the approaching closure unfold, followers lined up exterior of the faucet room to buy T-shirts and circumstances of beer and to assist drain remaining stock, The Associated Press reported. In the Bay Area, NBC News reported this week that different buyers had expressed curiosity in saving the brewery.

To Sapporo, Anchor Steam was “just another line item in the budget,” the union stated on the time, however the employees and town of San Francisco “suffer the consequences.”