Comrades in Coffee: Solidarity and Community

by Ian McClure, LTU-YDSA co-chair

It’s 9:45 a.m. on a Friday and the strikers have arrived, dressed to the nines as usual. The chopped samples of JPEGMAFIA’s “Baby I’m Bleeding” play at full volume, setting the tone for the day. The picket line is held by the youthful energy of a new generation of rank and file militants. Baristas and chefs at the Great Lakes Coffee stores are striking to win a $15 starting wage, COVID-19 protocols, health insurance, PTO, protection from harassment and discrimination, a union contract, and, most importantly, respect.

The age of the workers and their fashion sense aren’t the only remarkable things about this strike. Notably, this is a recognition strike, a rarity since the 1960s and 70s, when public sector workers often went on illegal strikes to force the boss to recognize their union.

The workers chose this path in response to retaliation from management. In early January, during the omicron spike, 9 of the 15 workers at Great Lakes Coffee’s flagship store in Midtown tested positive. “I was sick with COVID at the time of the initial closure, as were many others, but I had been contacted by the only remaining workers at Midtown about their concerns of feeling unsafe and not wanting to return until they could get negative PCR tests or unless the company was willing to offer hazard pay,” says Lex Blom, one of the workers.

The bosses would not budge. Rather than allow a few days off to protect their employees, they decided to close the store entirely, leaving a note on the door to inform customers that the location would be “temporarily closed.”

In response, the workers began to organize themselves, and before long, they were talking about a union. “I sent out an application to Unite Here Local 24, and the DSA and AFL-CIO were instrumental in getting us in contact with our union reps directly — this whole process has happened much faster than we really imagined thanks to the people and teams supporting us,’’ says Lex.

On February 16 they held their first picket with 20 of the 24 workers on strike.

The community turnout was overwhelming. With over 120 in attendance, it was hard to even locate the workers among the crowd. Supporters included dozens of DSA members, as well as sympathetic regular customers and workers from a broad variety of unions.

Speakers included union presidents, state representative Abe Aiyash, Congressperson Rashida Tlaib, and, most importantly, the workers themselves.

According to Lex, this changed the way the workers saw themselves and their movement: “All of the support we have received has inspired the workers so much; most of us had never imagined sharing a podium with Rashida or thought that the things we want to see change would pick up such traction. It has been huge in keeping morale high and reinforcing that we are doing the right thing.”

COMMUNITY

One thing that workers are quick to mention is how much they love their jobs. They never fail to mention how much they’d rather be behind the counter serving their regulars and providing the caffeine that fuels the community, than standing in the cold with a picket sign. Beck, another worker, says: “We love our jobs, we love being baristas, we love serving the community, like the people who had been there for a while.”

This is a universal sentiment. Working in a cafe is deeply personal, and there are strong ties between those behind the counter and the people they serve.

Another barista, Paul, said this connection even made him hesitant to join the strike at first. “My biggest fear walking out of the cafe was leaving my favorite regulars that supported me and my craft since the beginning. I got to know some personally and have become connected with them as well.”

Only the solidarity between co-workers, and the chaotic conditions imposed by the bosses, were strong enough to overcome these hesitations.

This relationship goes both ways. While the workers support the community in the cafes, the community has come out to support the workers on the picket lines. Paul says, “The support that we have received from the community has been unbelievable. I was very surprised by how much energy and interest that the locals have given us through the picket lines and the rallies.”

The large community rallies pull dozens of supporters eager to leaflet and talk to customers who might unknowingly cross the picket line, while daily pickets are bolstered with DSA members and members of other unions. This degree of public support is critical. “Knowing that they are with us and understand the circumstances makes this movement a little easier to operate,” says Paul.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

The baristas and cooks have taken to calling themselves Comrades in Coffee. “We feel like it encompasses all of what we hope to achieve for ourselves and other comrades in other coffee shops — that we’re all in the same fight together and that we’re ready to have your back,” says Lex. This sense of solidarity is clear in everything they do, from offering free coffee to customers who might otherwise be shopping at Great Lakes Coffee to elevating other local worker struggles on their social media.

“I can’t speak for other workers’ political leanings, but for me being a Comrade is absolutely about my own morals as well — having a gender-neutral option to go along with our brothers and sisters in Local 24 and a sense of solidarity that expands outside of the coffee industry and into other avenues of local activism,” Lex continues.

It’s clear that the strikers have a fundamentally anti-capitalist, pro-worker sentiment driving their organizing. It’s about more than better wages and benefits, but about dignity and the ability to make decisions for oneself at work.

Sydney puts it beautifully: “Basically, if capitalism is going to continue to exist and the word ‘industry’ has to be something I have to attach to these things, then it only makes sense that these things are able to support the people who make them happen.” In essence, workers should be able to support themselves, and they deserve workplaces where they feel safe and respected.

DSA INVOLVEMENT

Detroit DSA has been involved with the organizing workers before the strike went public, and once the strike officially began became involved in great numbers. This level of support has created strong bonds between DSA and the baristas.

“Showing up to a rally once a week would have been helpful on its own but what really showed the workers that we had their backs was showing up to the picket line consistently over the last few weeks. It was at the pickets that we really had the opportunity to get to know our comrades in coffee” says Colin, chair of the Labor Working Group.

Internally, this strike has also helped revitalize the chapter. Members new and old are turning out to the picket line, stopping by to drop off food, or joining the “Karen Crew”. Colin says “We’ve had members ask managers at cafes and restaurants to stop serving Great Lakes Coffee until their Union is recognized.”

This strategy has borne fruit, as a number of stores have agreed to no longer carry the product. The activity level of the chapter has increased as a result of strike solidarity actions, and our general meetings have been attended by newcomers from among the strikers and from other supporters we’ve met on the line. As Colin puts it, “We’ve now developed a relationship with our Comrades in Coffee that I believe will last long after this strike is over.”

BIGGER THAN GREAT LAKES

Talking to the striking workers, it rapidly becomes clear that they understand their role in the labor movement. Organizing in coffee shops is in vogue, as Starbucks workers make gains in their historic nationwide campaign, and the Comrades clearly see themselves as part of that movement. As a bargaining unit composed almost entirely of Gen Z members, they represent what could be a radical change in the direction of organized labor.

Lex says that “getting younger workers involved in labor organization is the future — I have learned more about labor organization through various TikTok creators than I ever did in school.” In this way, a young tech-savvy workforce is enabled to organize.

It is easier than ever for workers to talk to each other, and this communication leads to increased political awareness and organization. “Younger workers seem so eager to learn their rights and most importantly share what they have learned for others, and that’s the key to the future of labor — making information about labor rights and organization accessible,” Lex continues.

For these workers, winning the strike may be the most immediate goal, but it is far from the only one. Speakers at rallies don’t limit themselves to discussing the conditions in Great Lakes Coffee shops, but rather in the entire coffee industry and the United States in general.

It’s no coincidence that their demands mirror the political demands made by socialist tribunes in Congress and the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign. As Lex states, they “are fighting GLC right now, but the issues we are fighting are not unique to this business — most baristas are not paid a fair wage, most do not have health care available through work, many feel like it is an unsustainable career, and there is no reason for a high-demand position in a booming industry to be unsustainable for you to live.”

These brave workers are undeniably class-conscious and they have a big-picture vision for organizing.

Just take it from Lex: “We want a better environment for ourselves but we want to help others fight for better for themselves as well — we have a form on our website, comradesincoffee.org, where other baristas that decide unionizing may be in their best interest, or just want more info, can contact us and Local 24 to get the ball rolling.”

The Detroit Socialist is written and produced by members of Detroit DSA’s Newspaper Collective. Interested in becoming a member of Detroit DSA? Go to dsausa.org/join to become a member. Send a copy of the dues receipt to: membership@metrodetroitdsa.com in order to get plugged in to our activities! Detroit DSA’s Labor Working Group meets biweekly on Tuesdays.