Statement from Gimme! Coffee Baristas Upon Ratification of Contract

Seven months of collaboration and discussion. Countless edits, omissions and additions. Two groups coming together agreeing, disagreeing, negotiating. And the culmination of all these is ironically small. But symbolically, this product is the highest peak in a long journey, the most difficult climb that rewards us with the best view.

It’s a union contract.

A union contract is the result of collective bargaining between management and the union. We, Gimme! Coffee management and local 2833, the Gimme Barista Union, have listened to each other, had long discussions about many work place issues and found common ground Here we are after six months of dedication and meetings and a contract to prove it. To say it was easy would be disingenuous to the process, but we discovered together that often the most valuable lessons learned are the ones you’ve earned.

Now we are surveying the future of our relationship. As we were in the beginning, the Union and Management are committed to respect, creativity and collaboration, and now that we’ve proven to ourselves that we can adhere to these principles through thick and thin, it seems anything is possible.

Many people would think that the contract is the end-all-be-all of this journey. In reality, it’s the milestone preceding a new leg of our journey. We’re starting a new campaign, leveling up, and equipped with new knowledge and well-earned rest, we’re ready to forge on.