Coffee workers at four Blue Bottle Coffee outlets in California have chosen to unite, joining a labor union.
Barista Union Wave Expands to Blue Bottle Coffee Shops in the Bay Area
A growing movement towards unionization in the coffee industry has reached the Bay Area, with workers at four Blue Bottle coffee shops voting to join the Blue Bottle Independent Union.
The unionization drive first announced in June has seen a significant victory, with workers at three stores in Oakland and one in Berkeley voting overwhelmingly (22 to 5) in favour of the union. This adds approximately 37 workers to the roughly 80 already unionized at Blue Bottle’s Massachusetts locations.
This move aligns with a broader trend that began with Starbucks workers in Buffalo, New York, who unionized in late 2021. Since then, numerous union drives have sprung up at Starbucks across the U.S., as well as at other chains such as Gimme Coffee in Ithaca, N.Y., and Boba Guys in Los Angeles.
The workers at Blue Bottle coffee shops, like their counterparts at independent Amazon Labor Union and Trader Joe’s United, chose not to affiliate with a large established union to maintain flexibility and control over how they organize their stores. Alex Reyes, a shift supervisor who has worked at the Berkeley store for eight years, stated, "We are just workers standing up for themselves. We want a seat at the table."
The union at Blue Bottle coffee shops, known as the Blue Bottle Independent Union, seeks improved benefits and higher wages to address the high cost of living in the Bay Area. Workers at Boba Guys stores, which are also part of the union, also want more transparency with the company’s sourcing of coffee beans and display that shows prices of raw coffee, as well as Nestlé’s practices in other parts of the world.
Bargaining talks between Starbucks and union are currently strained, but the union at Blue Bottle coffee shops has won its first victory. The union now represents approximately 117 workers at Blue Bottle coffee shops in both Massachusetts and California.
Suhauna Hussain is following Blue Bottle coffee shops in the Bay Area, while six Boba Guys stores in Los Angeles County will join the California Retail & Restaurant Worker Union. The broader restaurant industry is largely non-union, but sub-industries such as hotel kitchens and airport and stadium concessions are exceptions.
Blue Bottle has publicly expressed respect for employees’ right to unionize, emphasizing their commitment to care but also their preference to address worker needs directly. This latest development in the Bay Area is a testament to the growing collective worker power in the specialty and mainstream café sectors.
The Blue Bottle Independent Union, formed by workers at Blue Bottle coffee shops, aims to improve benefits and wages in response to the high cost of living in the Bay Area, California. This union movement parallel to Starbucks workers and other chains like Boba Guys in Los Angeles, who also seek transparency with their company's sourcing and more control over their workplaces. Despite the strained negotiations between Starbucks and their union, the Blue Bottle Independent Union has already secured a victory, representing approximately 117 workers at their California and Massachusetts locations. This growth in unionization within the coffee industry signifies a surge in collective worker power not only in specialty cafés but also within the broader restaurant industry in California.
