Credit: Eddie Velazquez | Central Current

Salt City Coffee will be the first locally owned coffee company to have a unionized workforce after the company’s leadership voluntarily recognized its union. 

A majority of employees at the company’s four locations in Onondaga County signed union cards Friday. 

Voluntary recognition from ownership sidesteps a potential election through the National Labor Relations Board. It had been a demand of the workers’ campaign to unionize. About 40 workers from Salt City’s four locations and roastery are in the union. 

Casey Moore, an organizer with Workers United who helped Salt City Coffee employees form a union, said the company reached out to workers last week to have a “card check.” Employees signal they are willing to unionize by signing cards during a card check. The company then recognizes the union if a majority of workers sign the cards.

“We’re hopeful it is going to be a fruitful and collaborative relationship,” Moore said.

Salt City Coffee employees call for owners to recognize union

Throughout their campaign, workers sought better wages and benefits, as well as the reinstatement of head roaster Connor Thornton, who workers say was fired in retaliation for organizing the union. Workers within the union started a GoFundMe for Thornton in the aftermath of his firing. 

Salt City’s ownership has so far declined to comment on the organization effort or any claims made by the union.

Thornton previously said in an interview with Central Current that co-owner Aaron Metthe told him his firing was related to a reluctance to take on managerial duties. 

This remains an unresolved issue among both parties. Workers United filed an unfair labor practice claim with the NLRB against Salt City for the alleged retaliatory discharge on May 13. 

“The company has maintained that it wasn’t union related. We believe that it was,” Moore said. “We’re working through that and it seems like they’re willing to do the ethical, the correct thing here.”

The NLRB will next investigate the claim, which can take anywhere from seven to 14 weeks, depending on the claim, according to their website. Both parties can settle in the meantime or the charges can be withdrawn.

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Eddie Velazquez is a Syracuse journalist covering economic justice in the region. He is focused on stories about organized labor, and New York's housing and childhood lead poisoning crises. You can follow...