Compass Coffee Accused of Manipulating Workers Headcount, Schedules to Rig an Upcoming Union Election

By Moon Harper

Jun 25, 2024 05:55 AM EDT

A Labor Union's Rally — (Photo : Unsplash/Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona)

Compass Coffee, a Washington-based coffee chain, is accused of engaging in union-busting activities to rig a union election scheduled for July 16th.

A Rehensible Union-Busting Tactic

Compass Coffee United accused the coffee chain of hiring an additional 124 baristas at cafes where unionization efforts are underway. The company manipulated worker schedules retroactively to qualify these new employees to vote in the upcoming union election.

In a post on X on Saturday, Senator Bernie Sanders condemned Compass Coffee for its hiring practices. Sanders denounced the company's assertion that a lobbyist from Uber and CEOs from other companies should be classified as workers to influence a union election as completely absurd and reprehensible. Sanders expressed strong solidarity with Compass Workers and urged Compass Coffee DC to honor its workers' rights to organize and cease its efforts to undermine unionization.

The Georgetown Compass Coffee store's shift supervisor, Penina Meier-Silverman, reported receiving an initial voter list showing 43 individuals listed for the Georgetown cafe and noticed that schedules were also falsified for past dates, which people had never worked for.

Compass Coffee Union Advocacy

Union organizing efforts began over a year ago in response to ongoing concerns within the company, such as removing tips for workers, unfair disciplinary actions, and equipment maintenance issues.

Workers at seven Compass Coffee locations, representing over a third of the company's stores, declared their intention to unionize in May 2024. Organizers reported that 84% of union-eligible employees across seven cafes signed authorization cards endorsing membership with Workers United, an SEIU affiliate that has organized over 425 Starbucks stores since 2021. According to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a union election requires signatures from at least 30% of eligible voters to proceed. A letter of intent was also delivered to Compass co-founder and chief executive Michael Haft on the same afternoon, the Washington Post reported.

Penina Meier-Silverman emphasized the workers' core demands, stressing the importance of respect, safe working conditions, fair compensation, and benefits, which she described as essential elements of basic workplace decency. Meanwhile, Compass Coffee's tactics seem to be a clear response that they are actively seeking to "pack this election and kill it."

The union has lodged an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Compass Coffee's behavior. Meier-Silverman indicated plans to file multiple charges related to the large number of new hires and purported retaliation workers have faced since the union campaign became public, especially since she was also reprimanded for discussing the union with a customer.

The owner and CEO of Compass Coffee believes all employees at the petitioned locations are eligible to vote based on the current employee list and emphasized the ongoing communication with partners to maintain an updated list by the 14th, said in an email statement.