Posts tagged Coffee

    Second Group of Philly Ultimo Coffee Employees Successfully Remove Unwanted “Workers United” Union

    January 18, 2024 // Within the last year, Starbucks employees in Manhattan, NY; two Buffalo, NY locations; Pittsburgh, PA; Bloomington, MN; Salt Lake City, UT; Greenville, SC; Oklahoma City, OK; and San Antonio, TX, have all sought free Foundation legal aid in navigating NLRB processes to decertify the WU union. Workers from a Center City Starbucks in Philadelphia are also pursuing a decertification petition against WU with Foundation legal assistance. Coffee employees in the Philadelphia area have scored a string of recent victories in removing unpopular union officials. In May 2023, workers at Guava and Java’s location at Philadelphia International Airport successfully voted to oust UNITE HERE union officials, and a few months later Good Karma Café employees cast ballots to remove the WU union. This month, Ultimo Coffee barista Samuel Tarasenko and his colleagues successfully forced WU out of the coffee shop’s Germantown-area location.

    Blank Street Coffee Is Popping Up Everywhere. Workers Hope A Union Will Follow.

    January 11, 2023 // deGraffenreid said the desire for unionism is “definitely in the air” when it comes to coffee shop workers, noting the massive success of Starbucks Workers United, which organized more than 200 shops at the previously non-union chain in less than a year. But interviews with deGraffenreid and three other workers supportive of the UFCW effort suggest Blank Street’s somewhat unique business model also helps explain why workers are interested in unionizing.

    This East Bay Coffee Company Just Entered Its Union Phase

    November 30, 2022 // A new coffee company union effort just launched not far from California’s state capital. No, it’s not more Starbucks locations demanding better working conditions. This time it’s the East Bay’s own Peet’s that’s looking to get a union started. According to More Perfect Union, workers from two Davis stores will submit their cards to the NLRB on November 28, signaling a formal intent to unionize. The stores have near-unanimous support from staff and have been organizing for about five months, according to Alyx Land, a leader at the North Davis location. The worker says one of his main reasons for getting involved was receiving a 50-cent raise at his last performance review which, given inflation, means his promotion sees him making less money than last year.