Workers at Minneapolis’s Surly Brewing Company Say the Brewer Is Busting Their Union
Two days after Surly’s beer hall workers went public with a union campaign, management announced it would be closing the location indefinitely. The Minneapolis company says the shutdown was in the works for weeks — a claim workers say is absurd.
Surly Brewing Company, Minneapolis. (Surly Brewing Co. / Facebook)
Minneapolis service workers are in the midst of an organizing wave. Tattersall Distilling, Spyhouse Coffee Roasters, Surly Brewing Company, Lawless Distilling Co., and Stilheart Distillery & Cocktail Lounge have all gone union this summer, affiliating with United Here! Local 17, a Twin Cities hospitality union with around six thousand members.
While each shop is in varying stages of achieving union recognition, Surly’s workers are in the tightest spot.
Last Monday, Surly workers informed management of their intent to unionize, citing safety concerns related to the pandemic, as well as recent wage and benefit losses, as reasons that led front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house workers to organize together. Two days later, Surly publicly announced it will be indefinitely closing its beer hall beginning November 2.
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