Berkeley, CA–Peet’s Corporate is stonewalling the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) as we try to negotiate a first contract at the five Peet’s stores we work at. In 2023, workers at three Peet’s stores in Berkeley and Oakland decided to organize with the IWW. In 2024, workers at the 4th Street store in Berkeley and at the NE Broadway store in Portland joined the IWW. All of us expected Peet’s to promptly bargain a contract with us. Peet’s has instead treated our bargaining attempts with contempt. They have been slow in responding to our requests for bargaining and are continually putting off contract negotiation.
These union busting tactics came to a boiling point late this past Autumn. Seven union organizers, known as the Wobbly 7, were given so-called “final warnings” by Peet’s before and after Thanksgiving, relating to a union action that had happened over six weeks before, on October 10. On that day, union members and their allies showed up to support a fellow worker (also a union organizer), who had a disciplinary hearing.
After a weeks-long investigation, which none of the workers being investigated were informed was happening, Peet’s management distributed letters to the Wobbly 7, informing them that these letters served as their “final warnings.” None of these workers had received any similar disciplinary measures prior to this, and were shocked that Peet’s was seemingly targeting union activists, including those with previously spotless disciplinary records, with a “final warning.” The “final warnings” did not contain specific allegations about what the workers had supposedly done at the October 10 action, and further did not provide any evidence that the Wobbly 7 organizers in question had violated any policies. In fact, all that the “final warnings” contained were the policies that the workers supposedly violated.
After attempting to file a grievance with Peet’s management over these abysmal union busting practices and targeting of the Wobbly 7, Peet’s replied to us that they would not consider our grievance until we began contract negotiations. We find this particularly frustrating, as it comes from the same management that has stonewalled contract negotiations from the moment we reached out to begin bargaining.
The IWW is urging customers of Peet’s who are outraged by the union busting behavior of Peet’s management to contact Peet’s customer service. The IWW will be distributing flyers to customers to inform them of these horrendous anti-union behaviors, which exist alongside pre-existing and ongoing health and safety and scheduling issues. The IWW hopes that Peet’s will promptly come to the bargaining table instead of continuing to target union activists while rebuffing contract negotiations.
Editor’s Note: As of February 3rd, Fellow Worker Deya was fired unjustly for forgetting to let her manager know that another worker was late. It hardly seems worth firing someone over, and represents clear retaliation from the employer. As Peets’ says on their Instagram, “anyone could be next.”