Crow & Quill, Green Sage may be the beginning of local service industry union movement

ASHEVILLE - More service industry labor unions may be on the horizon in Asheville, following trends witnessed across the U.S.

Jacob Levinsohn, a bartender at The Crow & Quill, cites issues within the city and in individual businesses as reasons that more local workers are considering unionizing.

“It’s desperately needed, and I think we will see more of it – I hope we will see more of it,” Levinsohn said. “Asheville has – there’s so much tourism. There’s so much business and it attracts a lot of money and a lot of jobs, but a lot of them are very poor jobs. They don’t pay people well, they don’t treat people well, and they rely on burning through people. With the increase in the cost of living in Asheville, we need something for workers, and I think unions can provide a lot of that.”

Corporate companies like Starbucks have seen an uptick in staff voting in favor of unions at locations across the country.

Independent Restaurant Coalition, a trade association, acts to support and provide representation on a national level for independent restaurants and bars and their business owner, staff and communities across the U.S.

Some of their campaigns have included creating sustainable practices, sharing educational resources, and advocating for policy changes in Washington, D.C., for independent restaurants and bars.

“Out of our more than 200,000 coalition members, not a single one has shared any plans or opposition to unions. It’s not a hot topic for us right now,” said IRC Executive Director Erika Polmar. “We see unionization efforts impacting more of the larger franchises like Starbucks than we do our members right now.”

Polmar said it’s common for a restaurant or bar inside of hotel property to be unionized.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more unionization specifically in those larger corporate entities. I don’t expect that we will in independents, but I could just as easily be proven wrong.”

However, in Asheville, there’s been more movement, though it’s been slow as the groundwork is being laid to make a smoother path for other area food and beverage workers.

Levinsohn was among the staff to vote in favor to unionize at The Crow & Quill in 2018.

In 2022, employees at a Starbucks on Charlotte Street in Asheville attempted to unionize but didn’t garner enough votes.

Less than a year later, employees of Green Sage Café’s Hendersonville Road location in South Asheville voiced their desire for a collective bargaining agreement but were met with opposition when their employer initially opposed their labor union efforts. The staff responded with a public rally and filed formal complaints against the employer to the National Labor Relations Board.

Labor union opposition

At Green Sage South, the local leader told the Citizen Times that the collective bargaining agreement was to address issues like fair scheduling, wage transparency and access to benefits and a human resources representative and accountant to assist with questions and concerns.

In February, Green Sage owner Randy Talley rejected the staff’s efforts to unionize with a letter denying recognition. However, the staff won with a 7-0 vote for union representation through the National Labor Relations Board, which was certified on April 7.

In May, formal complaints were filed against the Green Sage Café employer to the NLRB for unfair labor practices according to the National Labor Relations Act. The basis of the charge included:

• Discharged an employee(s) because the employee(s) joined or supported a labor organization and in order to discourage union activities and/or membership.

• Disciplined an employee because they supported a labor organization and in order in order to discourage union activities and/or membership.

• Interrogated employees about union activities.

• Interfered with the formation of a labor organization.

• Interfered with refrained, and coerced employees in exercise of their rights under Section 7 by making coercive statements and for participating in protected concerted activity.

On June 28, Talley made his first response to the Citizen Times regarding the labor union via email:

"Green Sage's employees petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold an election to determine if a majority of Green Sage's employees wished to be represented by Teamsters Local 61. An election was conducted by the NLRB on March 30, 2023, and based on the results of that election Local 61 was certified by the NLRB as the representative of Green Sage's employees on April 7, 2023.

"Green Sage and Teamster officials have had several fruitful discussions since the certification. The parties have scheduled dates in late July to begin formal negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement.

"Green Sage respects the rights and wishes of its employees in this matter. The company looks forward to productive and meaningful bargaining with the Teamsters."

Green Sage has two additional locations, in downtown and in North Asheville. The staff is nonunion.

In a unique case, The Crow & Quill’s owner, Casey Campfield, not only supported his staff unionizing but presented the idea to them.

“I encouraged the staff to consider filing their union paperwork,” Campfield said. “I thought it was important to reflect our ideas of a pro-union labor establishment and protect them in case something happened to me and there was new ownership. I wanted to make sure they had some safeguards in place.”

Campfield said he aimed to set an example for other business owners and encourage workers to consider the benefits of a union.

“It allows you to take control of your conditions, and that’s really worthwhile,” Levinsohn said.

Labor union support

Asheville Food & Beverage United, an advocacy group, has supported local hospitality workforce causes from paid parking for downtown workers to rallying alongside Green Sage workers.

Jen Hampton, co-chair for Asheville Food and Beverage United, has been in communication with other local service workers interested in and meeting with their colleagues to discuss unionizing at their corresponding places of employment. However, some have voiced reluctance and fear over possible negative responses and retaliation from their employers. Also, people are worried that future employers may not want to hire a person who’s been in a union previously, Hampton said.

The decision to unionize was without conflict, Campfield said, but there have still been delays and difficulties along the way.

The Crow & Quill’s collective bargaining agreement is still in its draft form and unsigned by either party due to reasons like the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the business to temporary close.

Some staff members have left for various reasons, like moving away or moving on to other jobs or pandemic-related life changes.

The remaining employees have picked up creating the contract from scratch.

“To my knowledge, Crow was the first unionized bar in North Carolina in many decades and possibly ever and that’s one of the reasons why the contract has taken a while, in addition to the bar being shut down during the pandemic, was that it’s kind of uncharted territory,” said David Forbes, a maintenance worker at The Crow & Quill. “There’s not a template contract that we can just plug in and adjust specifics for our workplace concerns. We’re kind of making the template right here.”

Now, there are seven employees on the payroll. Three of the employees of the original union vote are still active with the bar.

The collective bargaining agreement would formalize much of what’s already been improved, like pay increases in response to the rising cost of living and paid time off. Having a contract would be beneficial if there were a change of ownership so the employees wouldn’t be reliant on the new owner upholding the prior set standards, he said.

Forbes said forming the union opened a line of communication and creates a space for issues to be addressed directly.

The bar has had good working conditions in place, Forbes said. And since 2018, there have been verbally agreed-upon changes and improvements put into effect.

“We get regular pay raises now and we have paid time off,” Levinsohn said. “Those are kind of the biggest changes, and we’ve got some other things we’re looking into, but we’re a very small union right now so it’s not happening quickly.”

Even without the final contract, there’s a feeling of solidarity among the staff, Forbes said.

“We address our needs informally here and add benefits and things like that without having to go through the union, but the union is there in case they ever want to push for something, if something comes up or if there’s a different ownership,” Campfield said.

Campfield has not been a part of the drafting process of the collective bargaining agreement but said he will voluntarily sign once a deal is met.

In 2018, Forbes wasn’t an employee of The Crow and Quill but offered consultation as someone well-versed with the union process.

Forbes plans for the contract to be completed soon, and that the template will show other service workers in Asheville what they deserve to be paid and how they deserve to be treated and raise questions as to why better treatment isn’t more common.

“The Crow is a rarity in that the employer was willing to be like, ‘I think unions are generally good. You present the paperwork and I’ll sign it,’ basically,” Forbes said. “I don’t think you’re going to have that with more businesses in Asheville.”

Food and beverage-specific unions

Service Workers In Solidarity labor union was established out of The Crow & Quill to provide Asheville-area employees with a local, industry-specific organization.

“There hasn’t been that many service worker-specific unions, especially for food service, so it was kind of uncharted territory in some way,” said Forbes, who stated it wasn’t possible to join an existing union and many are focused on industrial or office professional-related industries.

“Food service, beverage service, they have their own specific challenges, specific issues and workplace things people face,” Forbes said. “We were trying to chart our own way and what that might look like.”

Forbes has noticed an increase in local unions in other industries and expects to see more in the service industry.

At the end of the month, Hampton said AFBU will become a 501(c)(5) trade union, in affiliation with the national restaurant union Restaurant Workers United, so that local workers may unionize under AFBU instead of seeking teamsters outside of the area.

“Established unions, they’ve had decades to organize for food service and they’ve just kind of ignored us,” Hampton said. “In working with the teamsters, they were super happy and willing to take on Green Sage, but they admitted they didn’t have a lot of information and knowledge about the specific ins and outs of restaurant work. It just makes a lot of sense to us to do our own thing and form our own union and this other group, they have already successfully organized restaurants in Washington state, Austin, Texas and Kentucky. … It feels like it’s a perfect fit for us to have that union grow and to grow ourselves.”

The fight for workers’ rights

AFBU’s campaign is asking for living wages, paid sick days and fair scheduling with advance notice, Hampton said.

As of 2023, the living wage rate in Buncombe County is $20.10 per hour, which is the base for a full-time employee to qualify for a one-bedroom apartment in the county, according to Just Economics, a membership organization that works toward building a sustainable economy across Western North Carolina.

In one year, the living wage rate increased from $17.70 an hour.

Front-of-the-house employees make $2.13 an hour and are reliant on customers’ tips, and many don’t have paid sick days, Hampton said, which is unsafe for the worker and customers.

“The fact that we are one of the least affordable cities, people pay attention – and they should – to the housing costs and the cost of living, and that is a huge problem; it’s also the wages being so low here in a lot of areas,” Forbes said. “The food service sector has become one of the beating hearts of Asheville’s tourism industry, but it’s also one with a lot of exploitation (and) with a lot of low wages.”

Financial burden shouldn’t be a factor in a business’s decision to support workers, Levinsohn said.

“There are costs associated with it but there are quality of life issues that I don’t think you should be in business if you can’t meet,” Levinsohn said. “You need to pay people a living wage and you’re retaining employees longer. You have people who care about their job, so ultimately you do better. But if people can’t pay people a living wage, you shouldn’t be in business.”

At The Crow & Quill, the starting wage for a barback is $20 an hour plus tips that may average to an additional $10 an hour, depending on the shift.

“I’m not trying to come down on any small businesses that are struggling to make means meet," Campfield said. "But I do think, as a whole, particularly with the larger and more profitable businesses in town, that the wages are just not adding up to the cost of living in a town as expensive as Asheville. And it’s our obligation to make sure everyone or every skill level is able to live comfortably in the town they live in.”

Benefits of a union include setting standards for worker’s rights and employees having a say about pay and hours, Levinsohn said.

“That’s the kind of power that should be in the hands of the workers,” Levinsohn said. “It also leads to employment being a conversation between employer and workers and that’s way more beneficial for everyone.”

Campfield said business owners may also find benefits in staff retention and morale.

“Business owners, let your employees vote to unionize,” Campfield said. “Do not try to interfere with that process. There’s nothing to fear. It is not going to be harmful to your business. If anything, you’re going to have a group of people who feel more empowered, and you will probably have a longer retention of employees because they work somewhere where they feel heard and safe.”

Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Crow & Quill, Green Sage unionized. Labor union movement on the rise?