Blue Bottle Workers Begin 4-Day Strike As Union Seeks First Contract

Blue Bottle workers began a strike on Wednesday morning as the union representing them negotiates its first contract, accusing the Nestlé-owned coffee shop chain of stalling the bargaining process and firing union organizers.

Services at all Boston area locations apart from Harvard Square and the Prudential Center were disrupted on Wednesday, according to the union, which represents 120 workers across nine Blue Bottle shops. The union workers picketed outside of the Chestnut Hill, Prudential Center, and Newbury Street locations.

The strike is set to last through Saturday — potentially keeping some shops closed through Black Friday and the Thanksgiving weekend.

All six greater Boston area locations and three Bay Area locations are members of the Blue Bottle Independent Union, which gained recognition in May 2024 through a National Labor Relations Board election after the company declined to provide them voluntary recognition.

The union and workers have been in negotiations since October 2024. Workers currently receive $18 to $20 an hour, but the union is asking for a starting rate of $30 an hour, based on the MIT Living Wage Calculator’s estimate of a livable wage for the greater Boston area.

The union is also asking for an improved response to harassment complaints, raises based on seniority, and store-wide meetings.

The BBIU and Blue Bottle have so far been unable to agree on a starting wage rate, uniform policy, scheduling policies, and promotion policies, according to the union. The two parties have reached a tentative agreement that includes a harassment and bullying policy and access to unpaid time off.

More than 90 percent of BBIU members voted to strike, according to a statement from the union.

Over the past year, the union has organized walkouts and filed Unfair Labor Practice charges over a series of issues, including the closure of Blue Bottle’s Prudential Center location without guaranteeing hours for workers who were forced to transfer locations and the company’s installation of cameras within stores — which the union has alleged is a tactic to surveil union members and stall negotiations.

The union has repeatedly alleged that Blue Bottle has unfairly disciplined or terminated vocal union supporters for minor infractions. Last Thursday, shortly before this week’s strike, Blue Bottle fired the union’s treasurer and communications director, Abigail R. Sadow.

“They told me it was for a dress code violation, but it really is just very obvious union busting,” Sadow said in an interview.

Sadow also said that two other prominent union members have been fired in the past week in “retaliation.” One was fired from the Prudential Center location on Tuesday for leaving a till unattended, and another was fired from a location in the East Bay for tardiness, according to Sadow.

The firings follow a similar incident at the Harvard Square location in summer 2024, when the union said an organizer was fired for using her phone to clock in for a shift several minutes early. At the time, the union wrote in a statement that “supporters have previously been written up for being simply one minute late to clocking in.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for Blue Bottle denied allegations that it was targeting or retaliating against union supporters but declined to comment on the firings, citing a policy against commenting on individual personnel matters.

“We value the contributions of all Blue Bottle Coffee employees and respect their right to be represented by a union,” the spokesperson wrote. “We are continuing to meet and bargain with the union in good faith and remain committed to reaching a mutually beneficial agreement.”

The BBIU has raised more than $4,500 for its strike fund — enough to cover all wages lost by striking workers until Sunday — and more than 3,500 people have signed an online pledge to boycott Blue Bottle until the union and the company have signed a contract.

—Staff writer Summer E. Rose can be reached at summer.rose@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @summerellenrose.