Philz Coffee United, the union representing some workers at Philz, announced Tuesday that they’re now affiliating with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5, the region’s largest private sector union. In a post on Instagram, Philz Coffee United cited improved wages, scheduling, benefits, and working conditions as focuses of their negotiations with Philz management.
UFCW Local 5 also represents workers at Highwire, Verve, Peerless, and Cat and Cloud, as well as employees of large grocers, including Safeway and Vons.
Workers at the Philz Coffee at 1313 Gilman St. in Berkeley became the company’s first and only unionized staff in 2024. The push came after some employees were sent home for wearing pro-Palestine pins to work, according to The Daily Californian. (Philz Coffee United was not able to provide comments ahead of publication.)
The San Francisco-founded coffee chain was sold to a private equity firm in 2025, prompting concern that Philz’s local feel would soon be sacrificed for mass-market appeal. Last month, CEO Mahesh Sadarangani ordered the removal of all flags from stores, including pride flags, to create an “inclusive experience.” After a backlash, the company later reversed the decision.
More specialty coffee shop workers are eyeing unions amid cost-of-living concerns and a tough job market. Bay Area baristas at Starbucks, Peet’s, and Blue Bottle have also made unionization efforts in recent years.
Employee organizing at Verve, for example, yielded some favorable outcomes for workers. Last year, the city ruled that Verve must pay more than $180,000 to employees at the company’s Market Street cafe after failing to provide health benefits required by San Francisco’s Health Care Security Ordinance. (Some employees received up to $20,000 from Verve.)
However, unionization efforts have also strained employer-staff relationships and in some cases, led to location closures.
Unionized employees in Highwire Coffee’s Montclair cafe were abruptly laid off, and the location shuttered amid bargaining in March of this year. A document outlining the union’s concerns notes that the company had previously described the Montclair cafe as a “problem location” after two baristas filed reports against a high-level manager who oversees that location plus four others. The laid-off baristas’ jobs were later reinstated at different Highwire locations. At the time of publication, the Montclair location is still closed.
