February Bargaining Update

Hello BBIU baristas!

We’ve wrapped up another bargaining session with the company! Due to a complication with Cambridge City Hall, we were only able to meet with the company on Friday, February 21. We are looking for alternative bargaining spaces which might be more reliable than Boston or Cambridge City Hall. If you know of any free or low-cost bargaining spaces which might suit our needs, please email us!

During the session, we were able to enter into a tentative agreement on: 

• Officers and representatives

• This article states that the Union will present the company with an up-to-date list of any officers, representatives, and stewards. 

• Industrial injuries

• This article memorializes that the company will maintain their worker’s compensation policy to treat work related injuries.

• Certifications

• This article memorializes that the company will continue to pay for any certifications that are either required by law or by Blue Bottle. 

“Tentative agreements” are agreements that are dependent upon ratification in a full collective bargaining agreement from membership. A complete collective bargaining agreement will need a supermajority vote from our members in order to be ratified.

As negotiations continue, it is important to remember that what happens in the bargaining room is a reflection of how we respond and act on the shop floor. What ultimately will win us our core demands will be solidarity with each other and our ability to claim ownership of our workplace. We can win a living wage, consistent schedules, and democracy in the workplace if we are able and willing to take action over these issues!

Although we only met with the company for one day, we still were able to present the company with multiple proposals which can be found here. The company still has not responded to any of our economic proposals, such as a living wage, consistent scheduling, or holidays. 

Much of the session was spent focusing on our anti-discrimination clauses, union bulletin board, protection from customer harassment, and defining the roles of café leadership (you can see the company’s proposals here, and our response here). We believe that we are close to agreement on these issues. The company has yet to respond to our proposal offering protection from customer harassment. 

Our next bargaining session will be held on March 25 and 26. To see progress in that session, we need your help in building the solidarity needed to disrupt business as usual. 

You can help us win our core demands by:

• Attending the March General membership meeting (time TBD, please keep an eye on your email)

•  Helping us build community with our coworkers! We’ll be hosting a game night on Saturday March 8 from 6:40-9pm (more info later this week).

• Paying voluntary dues (which help pay for things like this website, union-sponsored events, and our strike fund)