LPM’ News spoke with Quills barista Joel Wafford about the vote and the hopes for the workers going forward.
Bill Burton: Quills has a total of 60 workers, and the vote to join the union was unanimous. How long was that process, though, to go from thinking about joining a union to taking that vote recently?
Joel Wafford: Yeah, that process was probably about, say, like nine months total of getting to the unionizing, and then from there, it was about, we'll say, like, six months or so to ratifying a contract.
BB: As joining unions go, was this a smooth process? How did Quills react?
JW: Actually? Yeah, it was a really smooth process. Quills did a great job working with us, and they respected their workers and respected the idea of having a union for ourselves, and I really felt like they, you know, wanted to do the right thing and stand up for the workers and actually listen to us. So we were really happy with the way they handled all of it.
BB: Now that you're a part of the Union, what are your hopes for your coworkers?
JW: Yeah, I mean to stay continued to being, like, unified together and, you know, protecting each other in regards to just, you know, raising the standards for everybody around us, like all the service workers in Louisville, other baristas. You know, this unionizing effort wasn't just for us, it was for everybody around us, everybody in Kentucky. Because, you know, we really want to make this a new standard for other companies to follow and make sure everybody's wages get lifted with ours as well.
BB: Joel, talk about the importance of the union and what it means for the workers.
JW: Yeah. So, you know, unionizing isn't just for us, it's for everybody around us. And increasing the standard for everyone in Kentucky, you know, we're like 44th out of 50 states in regards to the best states to work. You know, there's no guaranteed paid sick leave, no paid family leave, no scheduling protections, and there's a lack of protections. So being in a right to work state, you know, it's really important to unionize because, you know, we got to stand up for ourselves and those around us, and we got to improve, you know, the living standard for everybody, and this is a great outlet for that.
BB: And now that this has happened, and there's so many coffee shops in the area that have unionized, do you see the effort to unionize expanding to other businesses?
JW: I mean, yeah, absolutely. I think a good template has been laid out to show that, you know, it is worth doing, and it is worth standing up for your workers, or your coworkers as a whole. And you know, like, there's really only a net positive that's come from this experience, you know, everybody's wages and benefits and, you know, working policies like they've only been improved from this process.
This transcript was edited for clarity.
