Workers at the popular Salt City Coffee shop say they’re hoping to become the first unionized coffee company in Syracuse.
About a dozen workers chanted outside of the shop’s University Ave location to rally support for their union efforts.
Worker Julian Guy said listening to workers could help the company’s sustainability.
“We have personally seen this business touch and better the lives of our community members, and all we ask is for a seat at the table,” Guy said.
Workers list health and safety concerns, the need for more transparency about benefits, and the need for higher wages as chief reasons for their interest in unionizing.
President of the Syracuse Labor Council Mark Spadafore said the council and the 35,000 union members it represents are supporting the workers in their efforts.
“As a community, we need to stand up and say this is the way this process should go,” he said. “We should respect workers’ right to make the decision for themselves, whether they want a union or not, and as you can see right here, these workers are united, and they want to have a better place to work.”
One of the workers organizing the union effort, Quinn Etoll, said she has a message for Salt City Coffee’s owners:
“We love our jobs. The reason why we’re unionizing is because we love our jobs, and we want our jobs to be better, not because we’re unhappy with the company,” she said.
Etoll said if the owners don’t voluntarily recognize the union, the workers plan to vote in the next 2-3 weeks on whether to unionize.
“I think we have a really good chance of unionizing successfully, and I think that what we’ll ask for at the bargaining table will be things that are reasonable but also will actively improve the lives of every coworker that I have and myself,” said Etoll.
The co-founder of Salt City Coffee said he’s working to see what the next steps are for the company, and he hopes to have a statement sometime on Tuesday.
