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1 June 1981: Schlitz workers strike
Published 3 weeks, 5 days ago
Description
On this day, 1 June 1981, just over 700 production workers at the Schlitz Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, walked out on strike after contract negotiations broke down, when workers were offered far inferior settlements to Miller workers in the same town. Schlitz had been struggling financially since the late 1970s, partly due to a change to the recipe which was made to save money but was deeply unpopular. The workers kept up their walkout until the end of September until bosses retaliated by closing the plant, sacking all employees. The company was then sold.
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More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/8098/schlitz-workers-strike
Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
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