Platform Beer Staff Walkout At Columbus Taproom Forces Shutdown

, Platform Beer Staff Walkout At Columbus Taproom Forces Shutdown

(Courtesy Platform Beer)

Things got ugly over the weekend when employees unexpectedly left their jobs at the brewery’s Columbus taproom and it sounds like they’ve several reasons to be pissed.

Here’s the deal….

, Platform Beer Staff Walkout At Columbus Taproom Forces ShutdownOn February 27, Platform Brewing, an Ohio company which was purchased by Anheuser-Busch in 2019, experienced a rebellion when its entire staff staged a walkout, effectively closing down the company’s Columbus taproom.

A letter announcing the walkout was sent brewery co-founders, Justin Carson and Paul Benner at 10pm on Saturday Night.

All six staff members quit, according to The Columbus Dispatch “accusing Platform of paying low wages while increasing hours and responsibilities; limited notifications of positive COVID-19 cases among employees; no taproom closure time to sanitize; mold issues in a freezer area that also is used to store food; and failing to fill the vacant general manager position.”

“We like the dynamic we have with each other and we like the work, the letter reads. “But the short-sightedness of massively downsizing labor costs, under-appreciating employees, and ignoring the health and safety of our staff in more ways than one is frustrating, and we think the brand and staff both suffer for it.”

In a late Saturday night social media post, Platform Beer disputed the allegations of unsafe conditions…

“Over the last year, our priority has been the health and safety of our employees and our guests. We have implemented health and safety protocols that closely follow CDC and local health authority guidelines, including contact tracing and proper communication following positive cases of COVID-19.

In its statement Platform Beer was founded in 2014 in Cleveland, where it has multiple locations, confirmed the temporary closure of the taproom in a statement and said the company would begin small group conversations with employees to deal with the complaints.

, Platform Beer Staff Walkout At Columbus Taproom Forces Shutdown“Starting on Monday, we will be scheduling small group conversations with all employees, across all locations as an open forum to ask questions so we can address any issues immediately,” the post reads.

Now part of AB InBev’s Brewers Collective division, Platform Beer expressed that it was taking those complaints seriously…

“Platform was founded on the premise that collaboration should be the cornerstone of everything that we do. This principle guides us as we brew beer and work to support the communities in our six locations across Ohio.”

“Since day one, we have prided ourselves on working together to be the best brewer in the state and supporting our full team that works so hard toward that goal.”

About AmericanCraftBeer.com

AmericanCraftBeer.com is the nations' leading source for the Best Craft Beer News, Reviews, Events and Media.
Scroll To Top