WORKPLACE

Job Jeopardy: Many unions in recent years have been negotiating “successor clauses” in their labor contracts to give workers a measure of job security if a company is sold. Teamsters Local 952 in Orange now wishes it had done so.

The local represents about 80 drivers and warehouse workers at Consolidated Beverage Distributors in Tustin. Miller Brewing Co., which owns Consolidated, recently agreed to sell the Tustin distributorship to Harbor Distributing Co. in Long Beach. When the deal closes this summer, Harbor could void the contract and put the 80 workers out on the street.

Concerned that this might happen, Teamsters members last week struck Consolidated, temporarily disrupting Miller beer delivery in Orange County. The union’s hope was to get Miller to put in successor language in the existing labor contract. What it got was a recommendation letter.

Miller says the Teamsters called an end to their walkout over the weekend after the beer company agreed to send a letter to Harbor urging it to employ union workers at Consolidated.

Harbor won’t say what it plans to do. Teamsters officials have declined to comment.