Submitted by beerisgreatPA t3_11zmr8o in RhodeIsland
This would effectively kill several businesses and make it very hard for RI breweries to grow and compete with CT and MA breweries. Several breweries already have these licenses and are relying on them to grow and support thier businesses.
What can you do to help? If you care about local breweries write your house and senate reps.
house bill: house bill
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Spread the word!
Any more background on why they are proposing this? Seems like catering to special interests, but I’d be curious to know more about why this is being introduced. (Who really cares who has a wholesalers license?)
At the small business committee hearing the teamsters' legislative director and the Distributor lobbyist testified. They were the ones to introduced the bill to Rep Corvese
If it’s the Teamsters pushing it, their argument will no doubt be that breweries driving their own beer “steals our members’ work” or some such.
These people, the many employees and the union hall depending on their dues care. This battle is now decades old. Follow the money; a lot of labor backed politicians in the assembly.
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Distributors are awful the 3 tier system needs to change, I'm sure at one time it was a necessity but no more
Well f them.
I noticed the second bill says “whose principal place of manufacture is outside of this state.” Any idea what the significance of that is?
Also curious to hear if any breweries or the RI Brewers Guild has a take on this.
The president of the guild testified in opposition.
If the restriction was on out of state, I'd think that would be a decent compromise. Brewers in Rhode Island don't like it because if you're someone like Whalers and you built a pretty solid brand here, this impacts your ability to pick up your operation and move it out of state.
And, make no mistake about it, that's the only thing they're looking out for with opposition to that version.
If I’m understanding correctly they want breweries to be unable to distribute so they have to use teamster trucks?
More or less.
Kinda shocked to see so much anti-union sentiment coming from a RI sub. Is it just the Teamster you don't like or unions in general? What do you see as the issue with unions? I thought they were a pretty standing progressive thing.
Man I hate this state sometimes.
Wow. Wrote to my rep and senator! This is garbage.
I’m terrible at writing letters on issues, do you have a template we can use?
The brewers guild put out an open letter the last time the distributors tried this, maybe almost 10 years ago. I’ll try to find it.
No, technically breweries in the state are not allowed to actually self distribute. Right now they use a loophole, which is some people who own one business that is a brewery and then open a different company that is a distributor. They get trucks, sell their own stuff at various stores and often use the same employees who are part time at both places (not union, so little benefits).
They’re still able to sell on the brewery site but they are not legally supposed to distribute in RI, they’re supposed to hire other companies and yeah the teamsters want it to be them.
Not saying I agree or not with this but the title is misleading as that’s not what the bill is. Whether the original law is right or not, 🤷♀️. State is just trying to address the loophole they have. Not sure what they guys name was but he testified recently at a hearing about it as he has a brewery and then a different Llc distribution company.
Why is it a loophole? It’s legal. Literally written into a bill that exempts beer manufacturers and allows them to hold that license.
You want to take on the teamsters? Look at the providence bus fires for recent history of how that goes
Teamsters want the work for Union drivers. Distributors want a piece of every pie there is
Unions are great in theory, but many have become nothing but political tools that are against the individuals that they are suppose to protect, the teamsters being among the worst of them.
No they arent great. They are designed to prevent progress.
Right...by and for whom?
Ohh I don’t know look what the teachers union did to kids during Covid.
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Your Post was removed because it doesn't allow for an on-going conversation.
geffe71 t1_jddruvs wrote
Teamster and McLaughlin & Moran are a pain in the dick. I can’t get my buddies beer in RI because of their bullshit
Stick to distributing hop flavored water and leave the little guy to do what they want
I’m union, but the teamsters seems to always pick fights that make no sense and don’t fight for shit that need to change