A version of the following article appeared in the Monday, June 1, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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by Ashley Fahey
An Instagram post last week by Legion Brewing was widely roasted online before being taken down, and the brewery has since clarified that it was not actually trying to draft members of the public to work its canning line for free.
The post appeared to be looking to tap volunteers to work a 7.5-hour session on the canning line at Legion’s West Morehead Street facility, and it touted the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at the canning process.
The Charlotte page of online discussion forum Reddit, naturally, hopped on to this immediately:
“Volunteer to work at a brewery? In this ****ing economy?” one person wrote.
“They should at least offer a gift card or like a $50 bar tab? That’s crazy,” another wrote.
“Where is the free beer and pizza? That's how you get people to move stuff.”
The social media post was “posted in error,” a spokesperson for Legion told The Ledger when asked to confirm if volunteers were being sought for canning line work and what safety measures would be in place.
“The wording of the post does not accurately reflect the nature of the opportunity,” the spokesperson said. Legion was seeking existing employees who wished to voluntarily pick up additional paid shifts to assist the production team during a period of increased demand, he said in an emailed statement.
Employees who participate are compensated ($18/hour and overtime when applicable), according to the spokesperson, and receive appropriate training and instruction before performing any work on the canning line.
“The post was intended to communicate one of those opportunities, but the use of the word ‘volunteer’ in the post created confusion,” he said. “In this context, the term was intended to mean employees voluntarily signing up for an additional paid shift, not unpaid work.”