'Blindsided': Heine Brothers employees say abrupt closure in Highlands is retaliation

Heine Brothers' Coffee abruptly closed its popular shop in the Highlands on Thursday, prompting cries from employees that the move is nothing more than union busting.

"Heine Brothers' Coffee has jeopardized our livelihoods for the coming weeks, they have closed a community space in Douglass Loop, and they have shown us once again that we are just replaceable cogs in their corporate machine," the Heine Brothers' Workers Union said in a statement before a Friday rally that drew more than 30 people at the site.

The union says employees were "blindsided" when the closure and plans to open a new Ten20 Craft Brewery at the site were announced. The brewery will still serve Heine Brothers' Coffee products at the location.

The union accused the company of "anti-union activity" because the Highlands shop had several "outspoken and visible union supporters."

Tyler Glick, who manages communications for Heine Brothers' Coffee, said in a statement that the closure of the store at 2200 Bardstown Road had been in the works since last year but that the company "didn’t want to close before finding a suitable tenant for the space."

The Louisville-based company is transitioning to drive-thru shops and the Douglass Loop location was the last location outside downtown that does not have a drive-thru, he said.

"Heine Brothers is offering all current employees of the Douglass Loop store the opportunity to transfer to another store and a stipend to help during the transition, or to receive a severance benefit," he added.

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A union representative said Friday that employees were not given notice of termination, but were given five days to decide if they wanted to relocate to a different coffee shop or take a severance package.

Other protesters at the rally said they were notified six hours before the store was supposed to close to shut down operations. They then had to ask customers in the store to leave, effective immediately.

Baristas from 15 Louisville-area Heine Brothers' Coffee locations announced in April that they planned to unionize, holding a press conference downtown at the time that was attended by state Rep. Keturah Herron. Baristas said then that workers deserve better wages, paid sick days, affordable health care, better staffing requirements and improved COVID-19 safety measures.

The chain has 18 stores in the region, including Southern Indiana.

Those who'd worked to form the union who gathered Friday morning signaled their frustrations with the company.

Oliver Thomas, a union organizer and barista, asked if there was a need for more alcohol on Bardstown Road.

"We have a lot of customers here that really rely on this being a neutral, safe space for all communities to be and it's not going to be that anymore," they said. "It's heartbreaking."

Ben Bridgman, a Highlands employee who has chosen to relocate, said owner Mike Mays "cares more about profits and breaking up one of the stronger proponents of the union stores than he does about the actual customers that he's supposed to be serving."

A statement provided by Glick on behalf of Mays said the closure is part of a push by the company to open more locations with drive-thrus, adding that Heine Brothers' Coffee had "a great run" at the Bardstown Road location.

"We’re excited to turn the Douglass Loop space over to our friends at TEN20, a terrific local company that will be a great fit for the neighborhood, and we’re delighted that Heine Brothers coffee will be available at TEN20’s planned coffee bar," Mays said.

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A spokesperson for Ten20 directed all requests for comment to Heine Brothers' Coffee, saying the brewery "has no involvement in internal communications or employment matters at Heine Brothers'." The new taproom is expected to open in the fall, following renovations on the property.

Ten20 has two other Locations in Louisville – a brewery that opened in 2020 in Butchertown and a taproom in Anchorage that opened in 2021.

Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbach.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Heine Brothers' Coffee Highlands employees: Closure was anti-union