Three Brothers Coffee was closed Tuesday because its employees’ union, Coffee Workers of the South, was on strike. They’re demanding better wages and support from management due to staffing issues amidst exits from leadership positions.
Paige Lemon, a shift lead at the West End coffee shop, said she’s fed up.
“People have asked us why don’t we just leave if we don’t like the pay or the working conditions,” Lemon said, “and the answer is: We have left. We’ve left lots of shops, and we’re done doing that.”
Last year, workers at Three Brothers Coffee became among the first coffeeshop employees in Tennessee to unionize.
More: Baristas lead union push in Middle Tennessee
But since then, even with its union, shop lead Jackie Janson said limited progress has been made.
“I’ve been here four years. Before me, I worked with people who’d been here since the start,” Janson said. “The starting pay has not changed from $9 since 2015 when those workers started.”
Their demands? One, $16 per hour starting pay plus tip match, and two, a solution to short staffing.
Anjelica Rubin WPLN NewsA pamphlet created by Coffee Workers of the South union members sits outside Three Brothers Coffee during the Tuesday strike.
One employee said the coffee shop has been understaffed since the manager quit, and the owner has taken over as interim manager and is absent from day-to-day operations. WPLN News reached out to Three Brothers Coffee’s owner, TJ Wilts, for comment multiple times but, at the time of publication, had not received a response.
Janson said his position, similar to lead barista, plays the role of assistant manager — but without the compensation an assistant manager would receive.
“We’ve brought forth concerns and desires to get pay raises (before). Our ex-manager even tried to get us pay raises, which was met with basically complete denial,” Janson said. “We’re really hoping this show of not only solidarity but also ‘we’re not willing to do this anymore’ (can get across).”
The strike began on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with support from the entire staff and two-thirds of employees out on the street striking.
“We’re just at our wit’s end. We want to wrap this up and get paid a wage that we can afford to live in Davidson County,” Lemon said. “Because we’ve been waiting for a year now.”
Anjelica Rubin WPLN NewsSupporters of the strike hold signs outside of Three Brothers Coffee.
Negotiations began in June of last year. However, multiple employees said they still have no contract, no manager and are consistently understaffed, leading to additional work with no compensation.
“I’m nervous (to be here),” Lemon said, “because this is a pretty high-risk action, but I feel supported. People have already come out. All the workers are on board. It’s a scary dive, but I feel we have the support of the workers and the community.”
Moose Richardson is a barista at another coffee shop in the city. They said they wanted to come out and support.
“I love the idea of us joining together as baristas in town together, helping each other when we need it,” Richardson said. “There’s a lot of joy here, even though the situation is not necessarily joyful.”
Anjelica Rubin WPLN NewsJackie Janson, a shop lead at Three Brothers Coffee, sits outside of the shop with his dog during the strike.
Janson said because pay has not increased at Three Brothers, they cannot recruit people from other stores around town, where wages are at least $3 more per hour.
“Our customers, our regulars, they all support us (striking),” Janson said. “They know exactly how hard we work, how much coffee we make, how good we are at our jobs and how much we love not only our coworkers but our community.”
A negotiations meeting with ownership began Wednesday morning via Zoom and ended early according to one employee who said they finished in a deadlock.
Lemon said Tuesday if ownership decided not to agree to their demands, they would continue striking indefinitely. After Wednesday’s meeting, the employees are doing just that and meeting with workers at other shops.
Meanwhile, Three Brothers Coffee stands a few feet away from the picket line — empty.
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