PEETS COFFEE TRIES TO BUST IWW UNION

Baristas in the Peet’s Coffee chain have been organizing into IWW’s Peet’s Labor Union for several years. 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. Peet’s Labor Union website

The nearest Peet’s to Bellingham is way down in Redmond, but we figure there would be interest here in what’s going on, as there are certainly a ton of coffee shops around here, including Starbucks- and Peet’s corporate is taking a page from that union fight.

Management has engaged in stonewalling and union busting. This has recently escalated with disciplinary actions taken against seven Fellow Workers as well as the firing of Fellow Worker Deya.

The Wobbly 7 received final warnings in autumn late last year. These warnings related to union actions taken on October 10, 2024. On that day, union members showed up at a Peet’s Store to support a worker at a disciplinary hearing. None of the workers that received subsequent “final warnings” had any previous disciplinary measures taken against them. The final warnings contained no specific allegations or put forth any evidence that fellow workers had violated Peet’s Coffee policies.

Fellow Worker Deya, one of the Wobbly 7 and a prominent organizer, has now been
fired. Peet’s Coffee terminated Deya for breaching a policy which is often ignored by management. Deya failed to inform a manager that she was alone in the store while waiting for another store opener to arrive. This situation happens frequently. Due to being given her final warning as part of the Wobbly 7, this minor breach has been used as justification to terminate Deya.

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. 1 (800) 999-2132, Monday through Friday from 6 am to 6 pm PT

The IWW hopes that Peet’s will promptly come to the bargaining table instead of continuing to target union activists while rebuffing contract negotiations.