Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee

Last updated
Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee
AbbreviationEWOC
FormationMarch 2020 (2020-03)
Founder DSA and UE
Type Union organizer training organization
Location
  • United States
Website workerorganizing.org

The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC) is an American union organizer training organization founded in 2020. EWOC is a joint project of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE). [1] [2] EWOC provides labor organizing support and training to non-union workers in the United States. [3] [4]

Contents

Model

EWOC attempts to help "everyday people" organize on the job. [1] EWOC provides direct, remote support to non-union workers who contact the organization. [4] [3] Workers are connected with volunteer organizers, who help them assess workplace issues, map relationships among co-workers, build an organizing committee, and plan collective action. [5] [3] EWOC runs online trainings and publishes organizing materials. [4] [5] EWOC is not a union. EWOC volunteers help workers organize shop-floor campaigns and affiliate with an established union. [4] [3]

EWOC's model is highly distributed and relies heavily on volunteers, including labor organizers and DSA members, to assist workers remotely. [2] [3] EWOC was inspired by the volunteer-based organizing methods used in the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign. [2]

History

Origins

EWOC began in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] [6] EWOC initially focused on helping workers organize around COVID-19 workplace protections, including paid sick leave, vaccine access, hazard pay, and masking. [7] [8] [5]

Since 2021, EWOC has focused on organizing the unorganized workers of America. [9] EWOC focuses on industries that have been under-served by the labor movement, such as food service workers. [10]

Campaigns

In 2020, EWOC volunteers helped workers at a Taco Bell franchise in Michigan win hazard pay, paid sick leave, and thermometers. [11]

In 2020, EWOC volunteers helped workers at Sprouts and Foxtrot win personal protective equipment and hazard pay. [8]

In 2020, EWOC volunteers helped workers at Marquette University and graduate student workers at Ohio State University win concessions over layoffs and emergency funding. [8]

Unionizations

In February 2021, EWOC volunteers helped organize retail workers at Bookshop Santa Cruz in Santa Cruz, California. [8] Workers voted to join Communication Workers of America (CWA) as Local 9423. [12]

In September 2022, EWOC volunteers helped organize healthcare workers at Ascension Seton Medical Center in Austin, Texas. [9] Workers voted to join National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). [13] In March 2024, workers won a first contract. [13]

In October 2022, EWOC volunteers helped organize food service workers at Chipotle in Lawrence, Kansas. [14] [15] However, Lawrence Chipotle workers were unable to form a union due to extensive unfair labor practices from Chipotle, as determined by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). [16] [17] Chipotle settled with the NLRB, posting material about the right to organize in staff areas, but nobody was reinstated or given back pay. [18]

Workers in the Lawrence Chipotle were inspired by the August 2022 vote by Chipotle workers in Lansing, Michigan, who were supported by Metro Detroit DSA. Workers voted 11-3 to unionize with International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 243, the chain's first unionized location. [19] [20] The Lansing Chipotle was the only Chipotle location to successfully unionize. Contract negotiations in Lansing stalled until 2026, when the union failed to win a contract. Chipotle has never recognized any union at any location. [21] Chipotle was forced to pay $240,000 for busting a union attempt in Augusta, Maine. [22]

In March 2023, EWOC volunteers helped organize retail workers at REI in SoHo. [23] Workers voted to create the REI Union with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) of the AFL-CIO. [24] [25] [26] On March 2, 2022, workers at REI's SoHo store voted 88–14 in support of the union. [27] As of 2025, eleven REI stores have voted to unionize, but have yet to finish negotiating a contract. [28]

In July 2023, EWOC volunteers helped organize food service workers at Barboncino, a Crown Heights pizzeria. [29] [30] [31] A majority of workers at Barboncino voted to unionize with Workers United NY/NJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), representing 40 workers and becoming the first unionized pizzeria in New York City. [32] [31]

In November 2023, EWOC volunteers helped organize service workers at board game cafe Hex&Co. in New York City. [10] EWOC helped workers in New York board game cafes The Uncommons and The Brooklyn Strategist follow suit. [33] [34] Their union, Tabletop Workers United within Workers United NY/NJ of SEIU, became the first board game worker union in New York City. [35] [36] Out of 94 voters, 77 voted to unionize. [37] Tabletop Workers United now represents over 100 workers at all three cafes. [33] [34] In 2024, TWU ratified its first contract at Brooklyn Strategist. [38] In 2025, TWU won contracts at all cafes. [34]

In October 2023, EWOC volunteers helped organize dine-in cinema workers at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Lower Manhattan. [9] Workers voted to unionize with United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2179. [39]

In November 2023, EWOC volunteers helped organize retail workers at Trader Joe's in Hadley, Minneapolis, Louisville, and Oakland. [9] Workers voted to form the independent union Trader Joe's United. [40]

In March 2024, EWOC volunteers helped organize dine-in cinema workers at Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Workers voted to join UAW Local 2179. [41] [42]

In May 2024, EWOC volunteers helped organize food service workers at Blue Bottle Coffee (owned by Nestlé) in Boston, Massachusetts. Workers voted 38–4 form the Blue Bottle Independent Union (BBIU). [43] [44] [45] In August 2025, EWOC volunteers helped organize Blue Bottle workers in downtown Berkeley, Piedmont Avenue, Old Oakland, and downtown Oakland. California workers voted 22-5 to join BBIU. [46] [47] In November 2025, roughly 80 Blue Bottle workers around Boston and 35 workers in California went on strike ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend, with workers accusing the company of negotiating with the union in bad faith. [48] In November 2025, after 92% of workers voted in favor, 80 Boston and 35 California workers went on strike for 4 days during the Thanksgiving weekend. BBIU accused the company of negotiating the union contract in bad faith. [49] [50]

In April 2024, EWOC volunteers helped organize retail workers at Labyrinth Books in Princeton, New Jersey. Workers sought and won voluntary recognition, becoming RWDSU Local 108 with 19 workers. [51] [52] [53]

In December 2024, EWOC volunteers helped organize food service workers at Common Ground Cooperative in Baltimore. Workers voted to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 27. [54] [55] [56]

In August 2025, EWOC volunteers helped organize beauty care workers at Sugared + Bronzed in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. Workers voted to unionize with Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 9505, the first salon union in the country. [57] [58] [59]

Impact

In early 2022, Jacobin reported that more than 3,000 workers had contacted EWOC and that nearly 400 organizing campaigns had begun with EWOC support. [5] In June 2023, EWOC reported 186 active labor organizing campaigns. [9] In 2024, Jacobin reported that more than 5,000 workers had reached out to EWOC since 2020. [3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Wadlin, Laura (2025-08-06). "A Political History of DSA, 1982-2025". The Call. Archived from the original on 2025-08-08.
  2. 1 2 3 Datlof, Sam (2020-08-24). "Wanted: An army of organizers". Democratic Socialists of America.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Blanc, Eric (2024-09-03). "The New Labor Organizing Model of EWOC". Jacobin.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "About Us". Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. Retrieved 2026-03-04.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Dirnbach, Eric (2022-02-12). "How Socialists and Trade Unionists Built a New Labor Organizing Model During the Pandemic". Jacobin.
  6. ↑ "With a Little Help from My Friends: How Taco Bell Workers and Many More Are Self-Organizing in the Pandemic". Labor Notes. 2020-06-05. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  7. ↑ Shapiro, Emily (March 8, 2021). "Texas service workers demand vaccine access, protest end to mask order". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Colyar, Brock (2022-02-21). "Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee Is Helping Workers During COVID". Teen Vogue.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Leslie, Abigail (2023-10-27). "How EWOC's Volunteer Organizers are Fueling the New Labor Movement". In These Times.
  10. 1 2 Jeanfrancois, Moses. "Checkmate! Board Game Cafe Workers at Hex Flex and Win Union Recognition Vote" . Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  11. ↑ Lemmerman, Emily; Perold, Colette (2020-06-05). "With a Little Help from My Friends: How Taco Bell Workers and Many More Are Self-Organizing in the Pandemic". Labor Notes.
  12. ↑ York, Jessica A. (February 10, 2021). "Bookshop Santa Cruz ownership, employees hope for quick negotiation process". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2024-01-04.
  13. 1 2 Aldridge, Olivia (2024-03-05). "Nurses' union at Austin's Ascension Seton Medical Center ratifies historic first contract". KUT.
  14. ↑ "Kansas Chipotle Workers Latest to Launch Union Drive". Labor Notes. 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  15. ↑ Furman, Jonah (October 21, 2022). "Chipotle Workers in Kansas Are Unionizing". Perfect Union. Archived from the original on 2025-04-10.
  16. ↑ Dunn, Cuyler (2023-11-30). "Labor board finds merit in union-busting charges against Lawrence Chipotle; settlement reached". The Lawrence Times.
  17. ↑ Wilkins, Brett (August 13, 2024). "New Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol Has a History of Union-Busting". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on 2024-08-14.
  18. ↑ Covert, Bryce (August 10, 2025). "Burrito bowl blues: How Chipotle Became a Wall Street Star, and a "Wall of Shame" Employer". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2025-08-10.
  19. ↑ Lucas, Amelia (August 25, 2022). "Chipotle restaurant in Michigan votes to unionize, in a first for the chain". CNBC. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
  20. ↑ Furman, Jonah (August 31, 2022). "How Zoomers Organized the First Chipotle Union". Labor Notes. Archived from the original on 2022-08-31.
  21. ↑ Bennett, Faith (February 18, 2026). "What Will It Take to Unionize Chipotle?". Jacobin. Archived from the original on 2026-02-19.
  22. ↑ "Chipotle to Pay Nearly Quarter Million Dollars in Settlement to Former Augusta Employees". Maine AFL-CIO. March 27, 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27.
  23. ↑ Guerguerian, Amba (2022-05-23). "Labor of Love: EWOC is Pioneering a New Model for Empowering Workers". The Indypendent.
  24. ↑ Gurley, Lauren Kaori (January 27, 2022). "Unionizing REI Workers Want Their 'Progressive' Employer to Pay a Living Wage". Vice . Archived from the original on 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  25. ↑ Scheiber, Noam (January 23, 2022). "Workers at REI Store in Manhattan Seek to Form Retailer's Only Union". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-02-21. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  26. ↑ Hofstaedter, Emily (February 18, 2022). "REI calls itself a co-op. But that doesn't mean it's worker-friendly". Mother Jones . Archived from the original on 2022-02-20. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
  27. ↑ Scheiber, Noam (2022-03-03). "REI Workers in New York Vote to Unionize". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  28. ↑ Sanford, Nate. "A labor-backed Seattle activist fights for an REI co-op board seat". Cascade PBS.
  29. ↑ Press, Alex N. (2023-05-30). "Barboncino Workers Are Forming New York City's First Unionized Stand-Alone Pizzeria". Jacobin.
  30. ↑ Fortney, Luke (2023-05-31). "The Fight to Unionize Restaurants Heads to the New York Pizzeria". Eater New York.
  31. 1 2 Fantozzi, Joanna (2023-07-27). "The same union behind Starbucks just organized the first unionized pizzeria in New York City". Nation's Restaurant News.
  32. ↑ Morales, Christina (2023-07-26). "Barboncino, a Brooklyn Pizza Restaurant, Becomes a Union Shop". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  33. 1 2 Thomas, Tim (June 11, 2025). "Unionizing NYC's Board Game Cafés". Jacobin. Archived from the original on 2025-07-25.
  34. 1 2 3 Carter, Chase (June 19, 2025). "New York-Based Tabletop Workers United Win a Union Contract After Prolonged Battle". Portside. Archived from the original on 2025-06-29.
  35. ↑ "Workers Ratify 1st Ever Tabletop Retail Contract in NYC". Workers United NY/NJ. August 2025. Archived from the original on 2026-03-05.
  36. ↑ "Workers Ratify First Ever Tabletop Retail Contract in NYC". NYC CLC, AFL-CIO. June 20, 2025. Archived from the original on 2026-01-21.
  37. ↑ Holtermann, Callie (December 27, 2023). "Board Game Café Workers Went on a Quest for a Union and Won". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2024-08-11.
  38. ↑ Kronenberg, Shaina (2024-03-11). "Board game cafe workers win union election". The Chief.
  39. ↑ "ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE WORKERS IN BROOKLYN, MANHATTAN UNIONIZE WITH UAW". UAW. 2023-10-13.
  40. ↑ Meyers, Marsha (2023-11-21). "Ingredients of Alienation: The Emergence of Trader Joe's United". Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  41. ↑ Press, Alex N. (2024-02-29). "Workers at Nitehawk Cinema Prospect Park Are Unionizing". Jacobin.
  42. ↑ Guerguerian, Amba (2024-03-27). "Labor Breakthrough: Workers Winning Victories Once Thought Impossible". The Indypendent.
  43. ↑ "Five Blue Bottle Coffee locations in Greater Boston unionize". The Boston Globe. April 3, 2024. Archived from the original on 2024-04-03.
  44. ↑ EWOC (June 12, 2024). "A Hotter Labor Summer". Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. Archived from the original on 2024-07-14.
  45. ↑ EWOC (May 2024). "Blue Bottle Coffee Union Organizing". Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. Archived from the original on 2024-05-13.
  46. ↑ "Blue Bottle workers at East Bay's four locations have unionized". NOSH East Bay. August 6, 2025.
  47. ↑ Darby, Melissa (August 6, 2025). "East Bay Blue Bottle Coffee workers are unionizing". Berkeleyside. Archived from the original on 2025-08-06.
  48. ↑ Toby, Yogev (2025-11-26). "Unionized Blue Bottle workers go on strike ahead of Thanksgiving weekend". The Boston Globe . Archived from the original on 2025-12-14. Retrieved 2025-12-14.
  49. ↑ "Blue Bottle Coffee workers strike at Boston locations". The Boston Globe. November 26, 2025. Archived from the original on 2026-02-11.
  50. ↑ Rose, Summer E. (November 28, 2025). "Blue Bottle Workers Begin 4-Day Strike As Union Seeks First Contract". The Harvard Crimson. Archived from the original on 2025-11-28.
  51. ↑ "'Seeking union': workers at Labyrinth Books use voluntary recognition model". The Daily Princetonian. 2024-03-20.
  52. ↑ "Labyrinth Books workers announce official unionization". The Daily Princetonian. 2024-04-01.
  53. ↑ Gilpin, Donald (January 10, 2024). "Labyrinth Books Owners Agree to Recognize Their Employees' Union". Town Topics. Archived from the original on 2026-01-20.
  54. ↑ "Common Ground Cafe Workers in Maryland Join Local 27". UFCW For Local Unions. January 13, 2025. Archived from the original on 2025-02-17.
  55. ↑ "Baltimore : Comment les travailleurs du Common Ground Cafe ont obtenu un syndicat et une coopérative". Info Libertaire (in French). Archived from the original on 2025-03-15.
  56. ↑ King Fitzsimons, Bernadette (2025-02-24). "How Common Ground Cafe workers won a union and a cafe". Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  57. ↑ Uhlmann, Natascha Elena (September 4, 2025). "How Spray Tan Technicians and Sugaring Aestheticians Built Their Groundbreaking Salon Chain Union". Labor Notes. Archived from the original on 2025-09-19.
  58. ↑ "Sugared & Bronzed". Long Haul Magazine. Archived from the original on 2026-03-05.
  59. ↑ Campbell, Tia-Marie (2025-09-11). "How Sugared + Bronzed workers won their historic salon union". Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
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