On May 3, workers across six Blue Bottle Coffee locations in the Boston area voted to unionize, with thirty-eight in favor and four opposed. The workers are now organized with the Blue Bottle Independent Union (BBIU), which represents sixty-seven employees. The union election came after workers unsuccessfully sought voluntary recognition from their employer, and a subsequent walkout.

The BBIU joins a string of successful coffee shop unionization efforts in recent years, most notably at Starbucks but also at smaller chains and independent stores including Wisconsin-based chain Colectivo, Brooklyn’s Daily Press, and Philz Coffee in Berkeley, California. Jacobin contributor Sara Wexler spoke with the worker-organizers from BBIU about their union effort.