PEET’S: Workers seek better conditions

From Page A1 location decided to pull the petition for a union election but are eligible to have another one in six months.

In the interim, Schroedter Kinman, one worker there, said they are reorganizing and rebuilding worker solidarity. “Corporate’s unionbusting campaign was especially effective downtown at fear-mongering, which made people hesitant to vote yes, hence our decision to temporarily pull the petition. The antidote to the fear that corporate is sowing, though, is trust and community, and that’s exactly what we’re focusing on moving forward.”

Pets of the week

Special to The Enterprise continue with her training. Trinket loves people and is just a typical silly puppy. She will make a great companion for some lucky person.

Lots of animals are waiting for “forever homes” at the Yolo County Animal Shelter, 2640 E. Gibson Road in Woodland.

Among them is Rider (A196960), a good-looking 2-year-old border collie. He is a very smart pup that would do best in a home that can help keep him entertained. Rider is a happy and high-energy dog — his enthusiasm for life would make Rider a great running buddy. Rider gets excited when meeting new people, but once he gets his wiggles out, he loves to sit for treats and pets. Rider's exuberance is better suited for older kids, and he would love to have a job.

Kobe, a darling neutered male Jack Russell mix, is a fun-loving ball of energy. Yolo Canine Academy is donating two weeks of boot camp training and lifetime free classes for any lucky person who adopts him. He knows how to pull a person on a skateboard, play Frisbee and is up for any strenuous exercise. Like hiking? Bike riding? Running? This sweet boy is for you. Call 530-6811326 to meet Kobe. No small kids please; too energetic.

Kinman said that fliers posted in the break room had phrasing that made it sound like management had been “forced into a scary situation.” For example, he said, the fliers explained how management was required to give the unionized staff’s personal information. And when asked about the fliers, management or higher-ups would respond with forced scheduling months in advance or the inability of a manager to work on the floor with unionized staff.

“Both of these may be true for specific union contracts in specific industries, but we alone get to negotiate our contract with corporate, and so, of course, we won’t put rules we don’t want into our contract,” Kinman said.

PWU Tweeted on Jan. 20 that corporate recently paid a store manager from Chicago to fly to Davis to give his “unbiased” opinion on unions and that the “company’s president came in and begged people to give him another chance and to put all our faith in him.”

With the coffee shop staffed mostly by students, Peet’s workers say they are fighting for a living wage and more hours, among other demands.

One of the significant factors that led to the Peet’s Coffee workers eventually organizing with SEIU Local 1021 was the chronic understaffing of the North Davis coffeehouse. “It’s the norm in the coffee business to have bare-bones staffing,” Alyx Land, a shift lead at the North Davis Peet’s Coffee. “Management puts the minimum amount of people they can get away with on the floor. Then we have to do a difficult job when we have a line out the door and mobile-order stickers down the counter. It’s really exhausting.”

Land said workers are sent home when business is slow, leaving other tasks, like deep cleaning and organizing, to be caught up on during opening and closing. “We’re just scrambling all the time, opening and closing every single day and then trying to go to school and then trying to have a life,” told the Enterprise in December. Land’s ideal workplace would be one with enough staffing, on the floor, at all times.

Union leaders say the victory at the North Davis location is the beginning.

“It will ignite a spark to unionize baristas around California,” Brandon Dawkins, the Vice President of Organizing for SEIU Local 1021, said in a statement.

“The nearly unanimous vote is a testament to the workers who organized, fought back, and stood up to one of the country’s largest corporations of coffeehouses and coffee-roasting services to exercise their right to form a union and jointly negotiate a collective bargaining agreement for a better workplace,” he said.

— Contact Monica Stark at monica@davisenter prise.net.