Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Employees at Spot Coffee have petitioned to the National Labor Relations Board to conduct an election.
They have been fighting to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board is still investigating charges filed by the union that two employees and a Spot manager were terminated unlawfully for trying to form a union. They say they have signed up a majority of employees at four locations.
The Regional Director of the NLRB will set a date and time for the vote.
If a majority of workers vote “yes,” the new union will be certified by the federal government and the employer and union will meet to negotiate an initial collective bargaining agreement. Negotiations will cover issues such as wage increases, benefits and workplace policies.
The Spot locations involved in the election are: Hertel, Delaware, Elmwood and Williamsville.
One of the fired workers is Phoenix Cerny: “While we are having this vote in undesirable circumstances, we are still planning on participating in our right to organize by holding an election. We are aware that the hostile environment the company created has adversely affect our vote while also believing that we, the workers of this company, are still prepared to move forward and fight for unionization. We still plan on holding the company accountable for their anti-union actions and will continue our fight until they apologize and make the appropriate remedies for what they've done to the workers of their company, “ says Cerny.