Roughly a score of supporters gathered outside the Tartine Manufactory this Labor Day weekend, brandishing stickers and posters emblazoned with one message:
“WE SUPPORT TARTINE WORKERS.”
Among them were former Tartine employees, activists from the Democratic Socialists of America, and fellow members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
Some customers lining up out the door for their morning pastries visibly stiffened when approached, but relaxed when they realized they were not being asked to boycott the bakery. Rather than holding a traditional picket line, the union supporters chatted with customers about the Tartine union’s attempts to hammer out its first five-year contract.
“We are not interested in taking Tartine down,” said Evan McLaughlin, union organizer and former Tartine employee. “The workers will only succeed when the company succeeds.”
“It’s really to send a message to the company,” he said. “Your customers are saying that it is really important to them that the workers have good work conditions.”
McLaughlin said progress on the new contract had been steady for much of the year, with tentative agreements forming around just-cause dismissal, systems for resolving disputes, and protections for immigrant workers. But the process slowed to a crawl during the summer, thanks to one major issue: money (dough, if you prefer).
Tartine’s current offer includes no guaranteed pay increases for five years. Instead, raises would be based solely on merit. And employees would have to begin paying a small chunk of their health-insurance costs, which had previously been covered wholly by the company.
“For somebody from the city who is trying to establish himself, having the same wages for five years is just not viable,” said Greg McGarry, an English teacher at Mission High School. McGarry said that he had not had a wage increase since 2017 himself, and was standing with the Tartine workers in solidarity.
“Tartine employees supported us when we were having our rallies,” he said. “Now they need our support.”
Emily Haddad, who worked at the Tartine Manufactory until March, 2020, and had been a strong proponent of unionization, also attended today’s demonstration of support.
“I’ll be honest, I was a little anxious coming today,” she said. Haddad said that the last time she had been at the site was for a “union-busting meeting” in which she had been shouted at in front of her colleagues.
But, she added, she was proud of their organizing, and sees it as part of a wave of worker enfranchisement in the service industry. She pointed toward Starbucks at 18th and Castro streets as another, similar business that recently unionized in the city. Dandelion Chocolate and Anchor Brewing Company are also members of the same union, although Dandelion’s union representation may have lost momentum, as reported by Eater.
The road to a Tartine union contract has been long and bumpy. The workers first narrowly voted to unionize in March, 2020. That tally was immediately challenged, and it took a year for the decision to be ratified with an even slimmer margin. Tartine co-founders Chad Robertson and Elisabeth Prueitt argued against starting a union back in 2020, and the Chronicle has previously reported on the company’s alleged union-busting tactics.
The pandemic also hit the company hard. Its Berkeley location shut down in 2020, and its three other Bay locations, including the Bakery at 18th and Guerrero streets, the Manufactory at 18th and Alabama streets, and their Inner Sunset site, all cut staff. Some employees were placed on furlough but were never brought back.
Tartine management did not respond to an interview request for this article. Robertson and Prueitt have previously stated that, while they are typically pro-union, a union at Tartine was unnecessary because of their strong wages and benefits.
“I love it here,” said Jason “JJ” James, who has been a baker at the Tartine Manufactory since December last year. “It’s great. But times are tough.”
“We’re just fighting so we can actually stay here.”
James said that most bakers in the bread room live in San Francisco, but the increasing cost of living is making it hard to stay put. He said that the typical wage for a baker at Tartine is $20 to $21 per hour, or roughly $41,000 a year.
James has put himself forward to be on a new negotiating team to try and iron out the contract disagreements with Tartine management. The team will include representatives from each of the company’s San Francisco locations, and are set to meet for the first time next week.
“Once we get the team going, and actually get workers being face-to-face with, you know, their side,” he said, “then I think things will go a little bit more quickly.”
The IWLU is the same union who’s ridiculous demands shutdown the port of Portland, as shippers just moved their cargos elsewhere, rather than caving to their insane demands. Then the ILWU was fined $93.6 million dollars for their illegal behavior. I predict Tartine will be toast soon…
The only explanation as to why the ILWU even bother with outfits like Tartine or Dandelion is how they know the writing’s on the wall: The ports will automate their container terminal operations like the rest of the world has for decades. So they’re trying to branch out. Only problem, as mentioned: Bakeries, chocolatiers – there’s no money going around like at the waterfront. What’s a gang leader making at Port of Oakland these days? It’s been more than ten years last time I checked, it was north of $200k. Nothing like that is in the cards for a shift lead at your ole bakery, artisanal at that.
I bring this up because this is the Mission, about unionization, and the ILWU is mentioned. Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta struggled when forming the UFW. Major unions, who had immense power, shunned them. According to Dolores Huerta, individuals from San Francisco’s ILWU worked secretly to provide assistance that was critical to the movement.
“…you have nothing to lose but your chains.” ✊🏿
Thanks Will, great coverage ⚓️
Nice headline