TORONTO, ON – CBC News reports that Labatt Breweries – the Canadian division of multinational brewing conglomerate AB InBev – will soon be dropping its long-standing policy of providing free beer for life to all company retirees.
While active employees will continue to receive the perk, the allotment for current and future retirees will be halved in 2018, and then dropped completely in 2019.
According to the report, the policy varies across the country depending on local union agreements, but generally sees all current and retired employees of the company receiving the equivalent of a 12-pack of beer per week for their full lifetime.
In a letter sent to employees in late October, Labatt vice-president Lindsay King indicated that “the reason for the change relates to the rising overall cost of maintaining a full benefits package, including health care coverage for retirees.”
Edmonton union president Jim Stirr has criticized the move, telling CBC News that he thinks “it’s nickel-and-diming of our retirees that put in a lot of work for many, many years. In the cost of doing business, it’s such a small, small thing.”
For more details, see the full CBC News article.