LEXINGTON, Ky. _ The strike at Jim Beam might be ending soon: A tentative agreement has been reached with the executive board of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, which has been on strike since Saturday.
Union officials could not be reached immediately for comment. According to the Associated Press, the union will vote Friday on the proposed new contract, which calls for the distillery to hire more full-time workers. The offer came after several rounds of negotiations this week.
About 250 workers at distilleries in Clermont and Boston, Ky., rejected two previous contracts over overtime demands, which they say have been increasing in recent years as global demand for bourbon has led to increased production.
Jim Beam is the world best-selling bourbon. When Suntory bought the company in 2014 for $16 billion, sales were an estimated $1.2 billion for 7.4 million cases. Since then exports have soared, particularly to Japan, according to Suntory Holdings CEO Takeshi Niinami, who spoke in Lexington on Monday.
In a statement Thursday, Beam Suntory spokeswoman Emily York said the company and the union "made very good progress" in talks over the last few days.
"Demand for bourbon has accelerated considerably since the last contract renewal, and that's created a lot more work within our operations. We share the concerns of our valued union team members, we've worked hard to address them, and we hope this agreement will be ratified when it is put to a vote," she said.
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