Rebroadcast: Baristas lead union push in Middle Tennessee

This episode originally aired on July 7, 2022.

Unions have historically been associated with factory workers and those in the automotive industry. In Tennessee, food service employees – particularly baristas – are leading the labor organization push.

In Knoxville, Memphis and Murfreesboro, there’s been various efforts to unionize local Starbucks locations. While in Nashville, much of the labor organizing is taking place at smaller, independent shops – like Three Brothers Coffee and Barista Parlor.

In this episode, we talk to community members who are leading the unionization efforts about why they want a union and some of the pushback they’ve received from their employers. We’ll also hear from labor groups about the history of unions in Tennessee.

But first, WPLN’s Blake Farmer joins us to talk about one rural hospital in our region that has beaten the odds and reopened.

Guests:

• Blake Farmer, WPLN senior healthcare reporter
• Xóchitl Cruz-López, former Barista Parlor employee
• Fern Welch, former Three Brothers Coffee employee
• Paige McCay, organizer with ROC Music City
• A.J. Starling,  Tennessee AFL CIO‘s secretary-treasurer

Previous coverage:

• WPLN: Workers at Three Brothers Coffee in Nashville vote to unionize, making them among the first in the state
• WPLN: As more Tennessee coffee workers seek better wages and working conditions, one Barista Parlor employee says she was fired for trying