Workers at Another Major Local Coffee Chain Move to Unionize

Workers at Green Line Cafe, a West Philly-based coffee shop, have announced their intention to join Local 80, Philly’s growing barista union. Twenty-two employees signed a letter to Green Line owners Daniel Thut and Douglas Whitmer, asking them to voluntarily recognize their union and begin bargaining. The letter, posted on Instagram by the Philadelphia Joint Board Workers United (PJBWU), seeks respect for their needs, including safe working environments, competitive wages, and transparency. The action comes almost a month after Philly-based Bluestone Lane employees unanimously voted to unionize, three weeks after workers at OCF Coffee House announced their own union drive, and two weeks after OCF Coffee owner Ori Feibush shuttered all three locations of the cafe chain. Green Line Cafe, which opened in 2003, has expanded to locations in Powelton Village, Walnut Hill, Center City, and Queen Village. Local 80, founded two years ago, currently represents workers at Elixr, ReAnimator, Ultimo, Vibrant, and Bluestone Lane.

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