Beer strike tests St. Louis' loyalties to Bud and unions

Drinking Miller beer nearly amounts to heresy in St. Louis, home of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. In this city, beer politics makes Washington look nonpartisan. Residents claim fierce loyalty to Budweiser as the hometown product and rarely speak kind words about the competition.

In this battle of Bud against the Brotherhood of Teamsters, it seems that Busch is still king. Partly because of the city's affinity for Budweiser, the Teamsters strike has been the least successful labor action in at least 30 years, said Neil Bernstein, a law professor at Washington University in St. Louis who specializes in labor law.

"Generally speaking, when you have a strike, the overwhelming bulk of people in town are supportive. They're not supportive of this one," Bernstein said. "It looks like the union is in big trouble."

The union does have its supporters. Hodak's Restaurant & Bar, where Deida's drank his Miller Lite, hasn't served Budweiser beer for nearly five months. The establishment is honoring the boycott called by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 600, whose members are on strike against Lohr Distributing Co.

Twenty-five drivers went on strike in May after labor negotiations with the company collapsed over salary and health care payments. They are asking supporters to boycott the distributor, which essentially means boycotting all Anheuser-Busch products in St. Louis. Lohr is the brewer's exclusive distributor inside city limits.

Bernstein said the strike has been undermined because beer deliverymen aren't high-profile workers that interact with the public. But drivers have taken center stage outside Busch Stadium during the playoffs. Teamsters stand outside the main entrance with placards and signs, asking fans to stay away from Anheuser-Busch products inside.

•	Beer strike tests St. Louis' loyalties to Bud and unions Associated Press, Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2005 Byline: Christopher Leonard, Associated Press Writer

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