Brunswick Baristas Launch Strike, Shipbuilders Join Them on Picket Line
PHOTO: Members of IAM Local S6 join Little Dog workers on the picket line Monday.
Baristas at Little Dog by The Met voted overwhelmingly last Saturday to go out on an indefinite unfair labor practices (ULP) strike and have been picketing all week outside the coffee shop at 87 Main Street in Brunswick.
“We’re very proud to be out here on the picket line - bringing light onto the mistreatment we’ve had to endure for months and months,” the union wrote in a statement. “The amount of ULPs filed against the owner are egregious, but easily avoidable...And yet, here we are. Our working conditions have felt nearly impossible to thrive in, let alone complete out basic tasks.”
Please donate the Little Dog workers’ solidarity fund here
The baristas say that various unfair labor practices (ULP’s) by the shop owner, Flaherty Retail of Maine, Brunswick LLC., have made safe operation of the business impossible, and a refusal by the employer to furnish information has driven the unionized baristas to their decision to strike. Flaherty — who also owns the Metropolitan Coffee chain spanning Maine and New Hampshire — has also failed to fix broken equipment. The last straw was reportedly when a credit card reader recently went down.
Little Dog Workers United members say they only wish to provide good quality service to their customers, but that can’t happen without cooperation from the owner. The union hopes that the two parties can soon meet at the bargaining table in good faith.
On Monday, Machinists Local S6 shipbuilders from Bath Iron Works joined Little Dog workers on the picket line, lifting their spirits and strengthening their resolve. Little Dog worker Jess Czarnecki said the baristas were truly moved to see shipbuilders show up in their big trucks and stand with them in solidarity. They said it was like "attending a family reunion with our favorite protective older brothers."
"They know their rights and aren’t afraid to say (or shout!) to everyone on Main Street, 'Unions gave you the weekend! Support these workers!' It was badass," they said. "We were able to exchange contact information and plan for the days to come."
Czarnecki said it was "revitalizing" to be able to tell their "full, unabridged story of our boss’s vicious, yet futile union busting attempts" to the other workers who "truly understood" their situation.
"They got it. They hate it just as much as we do and didn’t need to be convinced to support us. That’s what solidarity and working class power is all about," said Czarnecki. "Each one of them seemed so genuinely impressed with our ability to organize our workplace in under a month. They were proud of us and we were proud to stand side by side with them. A handful of ill-informed members of the general public have told us we don’t deserve to be union members because we’re 'just baristas!' The boys at Local S6 made it clear: unions are for all workers. This is one fight and we’re in it together.”
“It was a whole different environment because [the Local S6] members were there,” Little Dog employee Chris Cushing told the Maine Beacon. “At one point, the cops came and tried to shut us down because we were using a megaphone. They were very good at supporting us and making sure we stood our ground. It was wonderful.”
