In late July, Blatz, whose only breweries were in Milwaukee, broke with the other brewing companies and began to negotiate directly with Local 9 regarding a contract. Following this, the other companies followed suit and began to negotiate. With Blatz having already secured an agreement with the union, the other companies were forced to accept the terms of the Blatz agreement, which included an hourly wage increase, two additional holidays, improvements to the life insurance and pension plans, and a 30 minute paid lunch, among other things. In total, the strike lasted 76 days, ending on July 29. On that day, union members voted approximately 3 to 1 to accept new labor contracts with the 6 brewing companies.
