If attempts to unionize are successful, Downtown Davis and North Davis locations will be the first Peet’s Coffee cafes to unionize
By ANTHONY W. ZAMMIKIEL — city@theaggie.org
On Nov. 29, two Peet’s Coffee locations in Davis, one in Downtown Davis and another in North Davis, announced in a press release that they had filed a motion with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold an election to decide if the two locations would unionize.
According to the press release, there are a total of 208 Peet’s Coffee locations throughout the U.S., and if the election attempts are successful, the Davis locations will be the first in the country to have unionized.
“A vast majority of the stores [are] located in the state of California,” the official press release reads. “If successful, the North Davis and Downtown Davis locations will be the first corporate Peet’s cafes to successfully unionize.”
The decision to hold an election comes after multiple high-profile elections to unionize throughout the nation, with corporate coffee chains seeing an increase in voting to unionize. The press release stated that the Peet’s Coffee locations were inspired by other coffee-chain unions like Starbucks.
“Peet’s workers are filing their locations with Workers United-SEIU, the same union that represents Spot Coffee and the Starbucks Workers United campaign,” according to the joint official press release from Workers United Western States Regional Board (WSRJB) and Peet’s Workers United. “Workers cited being inspired by organizing Starbucks workers as a key motivation for their organizing efforts.”
Throughout the press release, organizers and employees shared their reasons for organizing and why they believe a union is necessary. Schroedter Kinman, an employee at the Downtown Davis location and the location’s media contact, made a statement in the press release explaining the need for union protections in the workplace.
“For me, I am organizing because we deserve a say in how our workplace is run and we deserve to be fairly compensated for the value we create,” Kinman said in the press release. “It is also about having a support system and a set of procedures if we are mistreated by our company.”
Alyx Land, an employee at the North Davis Peet’s location, stated in the press release that a union would provide benefits not only for current employees but future employees as well.
“Unionizing is important to me because I’m passionate about my job and want it to be sustainable and fun for me, my current and even my future coworkers!” Land said in the press release.
Trinity Salazar, another employee from the North Davis Peet’s and the media contact for that location, also shared their reasons for supporting a union in the press release.
“In a union, I feel protected as a worker,” Salazar said in the press release. “Therefore I no longer feel like the best option is to leave the business I work for but instead improve it. Not just for myself, but for everyone I work with.”
Efforts to unionize are developing and ongoing, and additional information will be covered as it is provided.
Written By: Anthony W. Zammikiel — city@theaggie.org
