Village Voice Employees Walk Out, Demand Better Coffee

Twitter photo

Unionized employees of the 60-year-old alternative weekly The Village Voice staged a walkout Monday seeking better pay and benefits — including the most essential benefit of all, behind maybe health care: better coffee.

As of this writing, The Village Voice the employees represented by UAW Local 2110 had not come to a new contract agreement with The Voice following Monday’s very public one-hour walkout, during which staffers took to the streets in bright orange shirts.

(related: Queensland Roastery Stripped of Business Award Following Owner’s Foul-Mouthed Rant)

Why the standoff? Here’s a bit from the Village Voice Bargaining Unit press release:

GREAT QUESTION. Every three years, our union, UAW Local 2110, and management come together to negotiate a new contract.

Our demands this time around are very, very simple: better pay, better working conditions, particularly for our overburdened sales staff, and to keep our healthcare coverage.

And here’s the real rub:

We also want better coffee. Our coffee is shit.

The Wrap yesterday obtained the first public comment from the Voice management yesterday, which to specialty coffee people looks like a truly misguided joke:

“The Village Voice values our employees, and we’re confident that we’ll achieve a mutually beneficial resolution — the hardest part may be getting this many New Yorkers to agree on what qualifies as a good cup of coffee.”

Don’t they know that coffee is serious sticking point?