Teamsters standoff stops pumpkin weighing at Seattle’s Elysian Brewing

SEATTLE – Elysian Brewing’s annual “Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off” was unexpectedly canceled today in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood. Instead, the brewery’s brewery became the site of a union rally as employees protested what they call unfair labor practices by Elysian’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Teamsters carried signs and chanted slogans accusing AB InBev of blocking negotiations on the first-ever union contract for Elysian Brewing workers.

The employees, represented by Teamsters Local 117, say the multinational has spent the last year refusing to negotiate in good faith. FOX 13 spoke with Shannon Mullins, who is a senior technician at Elysian. She says AB InBev has had larger unionized breweries for years.

“They’re trying to say we’re doing a different job because we’re a craft brewery,” Mullins said. “It’s an industry that a lot of people think is cool to work in and anything but hard work, it’s dangerous, it’s dirty and we deserve to be unionized.”

Typically, the “Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off” attracts growers from around the world. Elysian did not confirm that the rally was the reason for the cancellation. FOX 13 has reached out for comment.

Elysian is still looking forward to next weekend’s main event, the “Great Pumpkin Beer Festival,” scheduled for Friday and Saturday. At this point all tickets are sold out.

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