MILWAUKEE — Economics experts say there’s been a recent resurgence of interest in unions among young workers.
When most people think of unions, factory and construction jobs might come to mind, but over the last few years, employees at several Milwaukee area coffee shops have been a big part of a new labor movement.
"It's not just a blue-collar, brown-collar thing anymore,” said cafe barista Steph Achter.
For Achter, the push to unionize at a small Third Ward coffee shop called 'Likewise', was due to several factors.
"Earning a living wage was huge,” she said.
Achter says it was an effort to guarantee a living wage, job security, and better benefits.
"Some of the really great things we have in our contract are monthly schedules that come out ten days in advance before each upcoming month,” she said. “We have 5 days of holiday pay, we have paid breaks every day.”
Achter says her small team was successful in unionizing largely due to another coffee shop showing them it could be done.
“Do you think Colectivo’s push to unionize paved the way for others?” TMJ4’s Ben Jordan asked.
“Without a doubt,” said Colectivo’s union president Dan Bukiewicz. “It's always hardest to be first and you're criticized for what you do."
Bukiewicz says their push stemmed from the issues exposed during the pandemic.
"You found out how essential these workers were. Service workers, hospitality workers, and they actually found out what their value was and when companies are making millions upon millions of dollars. They're not asking to make millions and millions of dollars. They're just asking for family-life balance and that's what the union can afford them,” he said.
Historically, union membership has been on the decline nationwide, going from about 20 percent of American workers a few decades ago down to roughly 10 percent today. But UW-Milwaukee economics professor John Heywood says that trend is starting to turn around.
“Have you noticed a trend of younger workers pushing to unionize?” Jordan asked.
“Yes, absolutely,” “Heywood replied. “70 percent of the American population thinks unions are a good thing and we know that those numbers skew young. It is the case that younger workers are sort of favorable toward unions just in thinking about their work lives."
Heywood says the pros and cons of unions depend on who you ask. From the worker’s point of view, union employees earn about 10-15% more and they usually have more say in their work environment.
"From the point of view of the firm, it's a mixed bag,” Heywood said. “Many managers view a union as a managerial failure, hence they think, 'look, this is just going to cost me money, and perhaps even more importantly than the money, it's going to mean I've lost control.
While Heywood believes it’s debatable at best to think union jobs will grow to the level seen half a century ago, Achter knows firsthand that people who work in a much broader variety of fields are exploring the option.
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