# Omaha bars boycott beer brands to back striking distribution workers  
**Published:** 2026-06-11T10:00:00.000Z  
**Source:** [Flatwater Free Press](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/bar-fight-dispute-between-beverage-distributor-and-union-leads-some-omaha-bars-to-stop-offering-popular-beers/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/omaha-bars-boycott-beer-brands-to-back-striking-distribution-workers

[Several Omaha bars have stopped stocking Miller Lite, Pabst Blue Ribbon and Coors products](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/bar-fight-dispute-between-beverage-distributor-and-union-leads-some-omaha-bars-to-stop-offering-popular-beers/) in a show of solidarity with unionized workers at Premier-Midwest Beer & Beverage, who have been on strike since February 2 over contract disputes. The job action has lasted more than four months as [workers reach 128 days on the picket line](https://www.wowt.com/2026/06/09/4-omaha-city-council-members-sign-letter-supporting-striking-premier-midwest-beverage-workers/), with no negotiations scheduled.

Bar owners say the sacrifice is worth supporting workers fighting to maintain health insurance and wages. The Underwood Bar in Dundee has removed popular brands from its taps, and owner Eric Franz said customers have been surprisingly understanding about the move. "It's more important to me to support these local workers in their struggle to maintain a fair contract that they've already held for years and years and years than it is to have product A," he said.

[Premier, which serves Douglas County and seven other counties in Nebraska](https://www.glazersbeer.com/omaha), controls distribution of major brands including Miller, Coors and Angry Orchard products, as well as local breweries like Zipline, Lucky Bucket and Brickway. The company became a flashpoint when Texas-based Glazer's Beer & Beverage acquired it three years ago.

Teamsters Local 554 represents about 47 warehouse employees, delivery drivers and merchandisers at Premier. The union says the new ownership demanded sweeping contract changes after decades of relative labor peace, including reductions in health insurance coverage, seniority protections and just cause job protections. "All we really wanted was just to keep our health insurance — that's all we wanted. And a decent wage," said striking worker Jeff Miller.

Glazer's has disputed the union's claims, stating it engaged in good-faith negotiations and pointing to "major declines the beer industry has experienced." The company has not returned to the bargaining table since February 16. [Four Omaha City Council members recently signed a letter demanding the company return to negotiations](https://www.wowt.com/2026/06/09/4-omaha-city-council-members-sign-letter-supporting-striking-premier-midwest-beverage-workers/), citing workers' more than two decades of service building the company.

## Sources

- [Flatwater Free Press](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/bar-fight-dispute-between-beverage-distributor-and-union-leads-some-omaha-bars-to-stop-offering-popular-beers/)
- [4 Omaha City Council Members sign letter supporting striking Premier Midwest Beverage workers](https://www.wowt.com/2026/06/09/4-omaha-city-council-members-sign-letter-supporting-striking-premier-midwest-beverage-workers/)
- [Beer distributor strike affects Omaha bar deliveries](https://www.wowt.com/2026/02/15/beer-distributor-strike-affects-omaha-bar-deliveries/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Flatwater Free Press, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://flatwaterfreepress.org/bar-fight-dispute-between-beverage-distributor-and-union-leads-some-omaha-bars-to-stop-offering-popular-beers/.