On Jan. 24, workers at the Roasting Plant Coffee shop in Manhattan’s Lower East Side voted unanimously to join UFCW Local 1500 for a better life. UFCW Local 1500 also represents coffee shop workers at Partners Coffee in Brooklyn and at 19 Blank Street Coffee locations throughout New York City.
The workers joined our union family because they wanted a voice in the workplace.
“A huge part of why we wanted to unionize was that we were getting basically no support from corporate,” said Ben, who works the Roasting Plant Coffee shop. “Our previous manager left in August, and while we still don’t have a new one, the new CEO started conducting interviews two weeks ago—after we filed to unionize. We felt that being effectively left to our own devices for six months was unfair, especially since we had no way to negotiate on a fair playing field with the company for the things we need, and so we began to talk about unionizing so that we could actually begin to work productively with the company. It’s been a huge positive change, in my opinion—we still don’t have everything we need, but we have the chance to build a fair contract with them, and I think that’s only going to make us a better store, and a better company overall.”
“We are incredibly proud to stand alongside these courageous workers who have fought tirelessly to secure a voice in their workplace and take control of their future,” said UFCW Local 1500 President Rob Newell. “We are excited to work together to build a stronger and fairer workplace.”