Letter to Mr. Carlos Brito, Chief Executive Officer, InBev SA
Letter
Letter to Mr. Carlos Brito, Chief Executive Officer, InBev SA
A Full copy of the Senators' letter is below:
Mr. Carlos Brito
Chief Executive Officer
InBev SA
Brouwerijplein, 1
3000 Leuven
BELGIUM
Dear Mr. Brito:
In light of recent news of the sale of Anheuser-Busch to InBev, we write today to urge InBev to ensure full protection of Anheuser-Busch employee jobs and benefits. Anheuser-Busch has a strong relationship with its employees, built upon the principles of fairness, hard-work, and honesty. As InBev prepares to take over operations of Anheuser-Busch facilities across the United States, we urge you to carry on this tradition of cooperation and transparency.
Anheuser-Busch currently employs nearly 31,000 people in 12 breweries in New York, Missouri, New Jersey, California, Texas, Ohio, Florida, New Hampshire, Virginia, Colorado, and Georgia and additional plants and distribution facilities throughout the country. Last year, these breweries operated at nearly 95% of manufacturing capacity. This is a testament to the dedication of Anheuser-Busch's high-quality employees and the need to maintain operations at all of these facilities if production is to continue at an optimal level. This must come as no surprise, as you have assured Anheuser-Busch and its employees that all 12 breweries will be kept open. As Senators representing employees of these breweries, we ask you to honor that commitment.
Furthermore, the pressing matter of maintaining health and retirement benefits for Anheuser-Busch's employees must be addressed. The acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by InBev differs from InBev's previous ventures in Canada and Europe due to the nature of the United States' healthcare system. It is of the utmost importance that InBev take extra precautionary measures to assure workers that their healthcare and other employee benefits will remain intact. Maintaining a strong healthcare and employee benefit program for each and every employee must be a top priority for InBev.
Since 1852, Anheuser-Busch has sustained a first-rate workforce dedicated to brewing, manufacturing, and distributing a product of the highest caliber. In our respective states, the Anheuser-Busch breweries serve as central hubs of economic development. Large cities and small communities alike rely on the jobs and continuing economic activity that go hand in hand with these facilities. Any facility closures, job losses, or benefit cuts would deal a crushing blow to communities coping with the current uncertainty in the global and domestic economies. With this in mind, we respectfully request that InBev take every precaution to maintain full operations at all Anheuser-Busch facilities, retain all jobs, and, at a minimum, offer comparable employee benefits. Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.
Sincerely,
Senator Charles Schumer
Senator Claire McCaskill
Senator Robert Menendez
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senator Sherrod Brown
Senator Jim Webb
Senator Bill Nelson
Senator Frank Lautenberg
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