Professor John Logan quoted in a news article on the unionization of Blue Bottle Coffee
Professor John Logan shared his thoughts on the unionization of Blue Bottle Coffee into the Blue Bottle Independent Union (BBIU) and on Nestlé’s potential sale of the company, examining how a change in ownership could impact the union’s future.
In April 2024 workers at five Blue Bottles stores in Boston filed to unionize. Despite Blue Bottle declining to voluntarily recognize the union, workers proceeded with a formal election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, which the workers ultimately won.
Since then, BBIU has been trying to expand its presence. In 2025, workers in California’s East Bay Blue Bottle locations filed to join BBIU, successfully winning their own union election. Following that moment, BBIU has been in collective bargaining negotiations with Blue Bottle over a first contract.
It’s important to note that Blue Bottle hired the law firm Ogletree Deakins, widely recognized as one of the “big four” firms advising on union avoidance, to represent the company in negotiations. Alex Pyne, BBIU president, said, “They continue to basically give non-offers in order to waste our time.”
Meanwhile, speculation has emerged that Nestlé, which acquired a majority stake in the California-based coffee chain Blue Bottle Coffee, may be preparing to sell the company. According to Professor Logan, “It can make a huge difference if a company changes ownership during a contentious union campaign.”
Logan highlights that the key to BBIU’s continued success in the face of a potential sale will depend on its ability to build momentum, organizing additional locations in new cities. “Probably more important to the union campaign will be its ability to spread to more Blue Bottle stores, which won’t be easy,” Logan said. He added that “baristas across the country have repeatedly chosen to exercise their right to form a union, even in the face of aggressive, and often unlawful, employer opposition.”
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