On Sept. 29, workers at three Verve Coffee Roasters cafés in Santa Cruz and San Francisco, Calif., voted unanimously to join UFCW Local 5. Verve Coffee Roasters management has recognized the union and is currently planning negotiation meetings with UFCW Local 5.
The 50 workers, who are employed as baristas, managers and shift leads, joined our union because they were concerned about insufficient wages, staffing issues and inconsistent hours, and wanted a voice in the workplace.
The organizing campaign was originally sparked by San Francisco Verve Coffee Roasters workers who discovered that the company was not complying with the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance. After filing a complaint with the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement, workers won a $200,000 judgment against the company, with some receiving individual payments of up to $20,000.
The votes were cast on Sept. 29 at all three locations, which was overseen by representatives from the NLRB.
“He held up each ballot and just said, ‘yes…yes…yes,’” said Sasha Pavy, who works at one of the Verve Coffee Roasters cafes in Santa Cruz. “When he kept reading and there were no “no” votes, I almost teared up. There is so much solidarity with my co-workers. We were all looking at each other and saying, ‘Oh my God, this is happening. All our hard work is paying off.’”
“With these strong votes, we feel really good going into these negotiations,” said UFCW Local 5 Director of Strategic Campaigns Jim Araby. “It’s very clear that workers want the union. We look forward to entering into good-faith negotiations with the company to make Verve Coffee Roasters a better place to work.”
Three more elections are scheduled for Verve Coffee Roasters’ satellite campus cafés located at Meta, SLAC, and Levi Strauss & Co.’s headquarters. Due to the federal government shutdown, these votes have been delayed, and UFCW Local 5 is in discussions with the company about establishing a voluntary recognition process.