Blue Bottle baristas in Bay Area announce union drive, becoming first in California to join Blue Bottle Independent Union
OAKLAND, CA – Today, June 17, workers at four Blue Bottle Coffee locations in the East Bay announced their intent to join the Blue Bottle Independent Union (BBIU) , becoming the first to unionize the coffee chain in California. Last year, BBIU first unionized all six of Blue Bottle Coffee’s Greater Boston locations. Blue Bottle Coffee is a coffee chain owned by the multinational corporation Nestlé, the world's largest food and beverage company, referred to by industry analysts as “the most evil and hated company in the world.” Currently, Blue Bottle has more than 70 locations across the United States, four of which are located in the East Bay.
In a letter read to management by workers at the Piedmont, W.C. Morse, Old Oakland, and Berkeley locations, the workers asked the company to voluntarily recognize their union by 12pm PST on Friday, June 20, and to immediately begin bargaining with them in good faith. The baristas in the Bay Area see the high cost of living, inconsistent staffing and scheduling, and lack of healthcare benefits as central to their decision to fight for a union. Baristas claim that the “authoritarian” work environment fostered by the company leaves them without any real democracy in the workplace. One barista insisted that working conditions rapidly declined once Blue Bottle was acquired by Nestlé. “I have definitely seen a decline in the cafés, in our products, management, and barista morale. Short staffing, unprofessional management, and eliminating our bonuses have been consistent issues” said Alex Reyes, a barista with almost a decade at the company.
In 2017, Nestlé, the multinational corporation with a market capitalization over $270 billion, acquired majority ownership of Blue Bottle Coffee for over $400 million. While Blue Bottle prides itself on paying fair trade premiums for their coffee, BBIU claims that baristas are struggling to make ends meet amidst the rising costs of living in California and Boston. In addition to economic exploitation, BBIU claims that baristas regularly endure hazardous working conditions, harassment, and precarious scheduling, in the course of their time at Blue Bottle.
“We are unionizing to fight for the fruits of our labor, build worker democracy, and expose Blue Bottle for selling out to Nestlé – famous for a track record of human rights violations, workers exploitation, and business operations in occupied Palestine” said Taylor Saladino, a barista at one of the locations. With an overwhelming majority of workers at the four locations signing union cards, the bold, brash, and brave baristas are ready, willing, and able to fight for and win an equitable share of the value they produce.