May 5, 2008  

(San Francisco, CA) — As Cinco de Mayo celebrations kick off at neighborhood bars and backyard barbecues around the country, Bay Area workers represented by Teamsters Local Union 278 are fighting to keep beverage and alcohol distributor, DBI Beverage Inc., from destroying good jobs that have supported local families for decades.

Over the Cinco de Mayo weekend, Teamsters from across San Francisco joined with Mariachis to sing out loud to Corona executives, "Ay, ay, ay, ay Cuenta mi lagrimas (count my tears)," a spoof on the well-known Mariachi song Cielito Lindo. Corona, the popular Mexican beer, is distributed by DBI Beverage in San Francisco.

Over the weekend, Corona executives accompanied DBI management on a promotional bar tour through the city to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Teamster Mariachis and DBI workers were also in attendance to inform Corona executives and partygoers about the raw deal DBI is trying to push on employees and their families.

"DBI is a profitable and growing beverage distributor headquartered in Tennessee. If they want to do business in San Francisco, DBI management needs to stop trying to destroy good jobs that support San Francisco families," said Chuck Mack, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7. "Eliminating workers' pensions and undermining family health care benefits is not the way to run a profitable company."

DBI Beverage distributes beer locally for companies such as Coors, Miller and Crown Imports, the producers of Corona beer. Approximately 40 percent of DBI Beverage San Francisco's employees are Mexican-American or Latino, and in California, roughly 1 out of every 3 Latinos are uninsured.

"DBI's attempt to cut the benefits of working-class families is inconsistent with the spirit of Cinco de Mayo," said Jack Bookter, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 278. "Corona has a responsibility to make sure its suppliers respect working families."

The Teamsters Union was founded in 1903 and represents more than 1.4 million hard working men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.