Headline News
Teamsters Leader Daniel Grace Lauds Governor-Elect Wolf for Barring Yuengling
(PHILADELPHIA) – The leader of Philadelphia-based Teamsters Local 830 today lauded the decision of Governor-Elect Tom Wolf to exclude Yuengling Beer products from his inaugural ball in Harrisburg next Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Teamsters Local 830 Secretary/Treasurer Daniel H. Grace believes that D.G. Yuengling & Sons, Inc.’s products were barred from the menu at the Governor’s Inaugural Ball because of Yuengling President Dick Yuengling’s decidedly anti-worker/anti-union stance. The boycott of Yuengling has also been endorsed and supported by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the Pennsylvania Conference of Teamsters, and the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.
“Every union member in Pennsylvania is indebted to Governor-Elect Wolf for this strong statement on behalf of the state’s labor movement. By standing against Yuengling, he has stood up for the little guy,” Grace said. “The Governor-Elect can’t offend anyone publicly over this situation, but I can. The reason there won’t be any Yuengling beer served at the inauguration is that Dick Yuengling is defiantly, aggressively anti-worker and anti-union.
“For nearly a decade now, he has abused those workers who wished to remain part of the Teamsters Union and has steadfastly fought any new attempt to unionize his brewery workers. He’ll tell you otherwise – that his workers don’t want a union – but that’s simply false,” Grace continued. “Every time he gets a whiff of an organizing effort, he threatens his workers with the loss of their jobs. He has openly stated his disdain for unions and has aggressively lobbied Republican legislators to bring ‘Right-to-Work’ laws to Pennsylvania, all in the interest of further lining his and other corporate fat cats’ own deep pockets. This decision demonstrates that Governor-Elect Wolf supports Pennsylvania employers who treat their workers fairly.”
Grace knows that certain right-wing Republican factions in the legislature will cynically attempt to undermine his position by noting that Grace was appointed to the governor-elect’s transition team.
“My appointment to the transition team has zero to do with my taking this public stance against Yuengling,” Grace added. “I am, first and foremost, a labor leader. Unionism is in my blood. Dick Yuengling is the worst kind of union-buster and he doesn’t even attempt to hide it. The reason his beer won’t be served at the governor’s party is the same reason you won’t find it in my refrigerator at home. If you use your bully pulpit to advocate against working people – to try to enrich your already bursting bottom line at the expense of living wages and benefits for workers – then America’s union members and working class families have no need for your product.”