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The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents 1.4 million members, Thursday issued its support for Teamsters Local 812 in its strike against East Yaphank beer distributor Clare Rose.
“The full might of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters is behind the members of Local 812 in their fight at Clare Rose,” said Jim Hoffa, general president of the union. “We intend to put forward our political, economic and organizing resources to ensure that these workers get a new union contract that protects their wages and retirement.”
Hoffa is the son of former Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa.
Clare Rose didn’t have an immediate response. Earlier this week, Chief Executive Sean Rose said the company was “disappointed that the union decided to reject our contract proposals” and that “the company’s proposals were made in good faith and were designed to eliminate outdated work practices.”
Nearly 130 union delivery drivers and warehouse workers at Clare Rose began striking Sunday, following months of unsuccessful contract negotiations.
BusinessUnion: Beer distributor to replace strikers
Union members said the company’s three-year contract eliminates a sales function drivers provide, cutting wages by about 30 percent. The company also proposed moving from a pension to a 401(k) retirement plan, they said.
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On Monday, the union said it received a letter from an outside attorney for the company that the strikers would be “permanently replaced.”
Striking Clare Rose workers were sent letters this week signed by company executives informing them how to resign from the union if they’d like to cross picket lines without being fined, a union spokesman said Thursday. 
Clare Rose, an 80-year-old, third-generation family business, distributes about 10 million cases of beer annually to 5,000 bars, restaurants and convenience stores throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties. It is a major distributor for Belgium-based Anheuser-Busch InBev, which owns brands such as Budweiser, Bud Light and Blue Point.
Several Long Island businesses gave mixed reports on the impact of the strike.
BusinessBeer distributor Clare Rose workers go on strike
“We usually receive deliveries twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, but we didn’t get it this week,” Kedar Patel, manager of the Speedway gas station at 60 Jericho Tpke. in Jericho, said Thursday. “We still have some beer, but we’re already running low. ”
Other retailers said their experience was different.
“As of right now, our operation has not been affected,” said Or Raitses, vice president and general counsel at supermarket chain Best Market.