Seattle, WA – On Thursday, September 14, over 100 Homegrown workers from six retail locations walked off the job to demand a new contract. The strike took place across the greater Seattle area for three consecutive days. Each day the strike grew, so that by Saturday, workers from all eight of nine Homegrown locations had joined. Homegrown workers are represented by UNITE HERE Local 8 and have been bargaining with the company for over eight months.

Homegrown workers’ militancy has led to significant progress in contract negotiations. However, the company refuses to move on a few key issues. “We're striking because we got stonewalled in our last bargaining session,” said Owen Juell, a worker at Homegrown’s University Village location. “And right now, we're fighting for successorship language so we can keep our union if the company's sold, a fair living wage, and health insurance that we can afford.”

“I need healthcare for my family, wife, and my two kids,” said Russell Concha, a Homegrown catering driver. Currently, Homegrown’s healthcare doesn’t cover spouses or dependents, and can cost over $800 a month, which is unaffordable for on their substandard wages. “I want a wage that allows me to save for college and live on my own,” added Mackenzie Shannon, a Homegrown worker from Redmond.

On the first day, picketing began at 10 a.m. at Homegrown shops in Capitol Hill, Redmond, Mercer Island, and Queen Anne. At the Capitol Hill picket, workers were joined by members of Seattle’s Strike Solidarity Committee, local community activists, and other union workers. “It's great. Capitol Hill's a really big community in a lot of ways. And so it's cool that we're able to be here because we've had a lot of really positive support,” said Juell. “We've been getting a bunch of honks. People are yelling across the street, chanting with us. It's been awesome.”

At 2 p.m., striking workers and their supporters gathered on Mercer Island for a joint picket and rally. Those on the picket line were not afraid to call Homegrown’s owner, Brad Gillis, out by name in their demands. Chants of “Brad, Brad, give us cash! Power to the working class!” and “Brad got his milk and honey but Homegrown workers got no money!” could be heard throughout the neighborhood.

On Friday, workers from Homegrown’s store in downtown Seattle walked out to join in the strike effort. Their shop is one of the most well-trafficked in the area. Workers mobilized from locations around the city to pressure the company back to the bargaining table. Accompanying the downtown effort, another picket took place on Mercer Island, where activists and union members mobilized from as far as Tacoma to show solidarity. Each picket had dozens of Homegrown workers and were militant displays of worker power led by the rank and file.

The strike was punctuated by the strongest showing yet on Saturday. Workers from the Kirkland Homegrown joined the strike, which meant that no Homegrown locations across the Seattle area remained open for business. “This picket is awesome. It’s fantastic. I didn't know there would be more people actually joining us on this picket. It’s been like this the whole strike,” said Concha.

Newly hired Homegrown worker Lucia Lambert had a simple but powerful message for all workers who want better working conditions. “This strike has made a lot of progress, so it works,” she said. “I'm actually on insurance from the postal office, which was family insurance that was won by a union a long time ago. My stepdad's a mailman back in Minnesota and we've got like seven people on it. They even include stepkids. I know that I'm benefiting from union insurance, and I feel like if you're fighting for family insurance from a union, I have to show up.”

Homegrown workers await a response from the company on the key issues that have stonewalled negotiations and are prepared to continue escalating to win their demands.

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On Thursday at 10 a.m., the Queen Anne, Capitol Hill, University Village, Redmond, Mercer Island, and Southcenter Homegrown locations will picket, followed by a large joint picket at 2 p.m. at Mercer Island. Homegrown workers have made good progress with company towards a decent contract, but the company’s latest proposal still leaves healthcare insurance unaffordable for many workers.

Homegrown worker Millie Saucedo said, “I need affordable healthcare for my two kids and my husband, who has heart issues. Right now, I’m uninsured because the cost is too expensive. There’s no way I can afford $800 per month on my pay.”

About a year ago, workers at Homegrown and Catapult NW, Homegrown Group’s wholesale distribution arm, went on strike over workplace issues including heat, smoke, gender pay disparity, COVID sick-day policy, and installation of worker surveillance cameras.

Workers in Homegrown’s cafes and wholesale distribution company Catapult NW filed for union elections with the NLRB in October 2022 after their strikes, company-wide delegations, picketing, and leafleting of customers and clients.

Workers in Homegrown retail cafes are eager to settle a decent contract that will have the wages and benefits to make their jobs and lives in the Seattle area sustainable.

Homegrown catering driver Russell Concha said, “I’ve worked at Homegrown for eight years. Right now, I work two jobs in order to make ends meet. I start work at Homegrown at 4 a.m. and I get off my second job at 11 p.m. I’m fighting for a raise so that I can only work one job, and get to spend more time with my kids and family.”

Queen Anne Homegrown worker Emily highlighted the need for the contract to stay in effect if the company is sold, saying, “I've worked at Homegrown for five years. I'm fighting for a contract that will allow me to stay in the company long term, and I need to know that I can keep this job if the company is sold.”

#SeattleWA #UNITEHERE #UNITEHERELocal8 #Strike

Seattle, WA – On August 21, around 60 people gathered for a picket outside of Homegrown Cafe in the neighborhood of Queen Anne. The picket was organized to demand a better contract and safer conditions for Homegrown workers. Backed by a full drum kit and the rhythmic honking of passing cars, the crowd chanted “Brad, Brad, give us cash! Power to the working class!”

“I'm glad to see how much people are supporting it,” Carlo Castro, a worker at Homegrown’s South Lake Union location, said as marched with the crowd. Signs reading “Worker solidarity” and “Heat pay now” hovered over the street during rush hour. “I'm really hoping that the higher ups in corporate see that there's a lot of people supporting this. And it's not just one store, it's every store.”

Joining the outpouring of Homegrown workers were members of Seattle’s Strike Solidarity Committee, community activists, and other union workers. “I was actually very surprised with the turnout,” said Bryan Kinney, a UNITE HERE Local 8 worker currently at Google. “There's a lot of people, like rivaling how many people we had show up to Facebook actions. Any win for a union shop is a win for me.”

A major issue to come out of the last bargaining session was union job security. Last week, the company “sat down and made a proposal about selling the company and getting rid of the union,” said Zane Smith, a worker at Homegrown’s Redmond location. “And when we asked them why they think we would agree to that, they said, ‘well, it's a tough market out there and we want to be able to sell to somebody who doesn't like the union.' And to that we say: that's your problem, not our problem.”

Then, of course, there’s the issue of wages. “I'm definitely fighting for higher wages,” Castro said. “We're counting on higher wages to support our families, pay our bills. I feel like it's about time they give people better pay.” On top of low pay, Homegrown workers are excluded from acquiring tips from DoorDash delivery orders, which make up a significant amount of orders in some shops.

Workers have also been fighting for a contract that better addresses workplace safety, specifically air ventilation and extreme heat. “The Redmond store has been open since around 2015 and it's been very smoky in there the entire time because the oven isn't ventilated,” said Smith. “We went to corporate and we delegated about the smoke. Corporate didn't fix it.” It wasn't until after multiple strike votes, innumerable bargaining sessions, and an actual strike that the Redmond shop finally received proper ventilation. However, many of Homegrown's other locations are still subject to unsafe heat and poor air quality.

The next bargaining session is on September 1. The workers are united in their determination to win a better contract from their bosses. “We’re going to go in at 9 a.m., and we’re going to bargain all day. We’ll stay till 10 at night, we’ll stay till 11, we’ll stay till midnight if that’s what it takes,” said Smith as he spoke to the cheering group of rank-and-filers. Chants of “Are you strike ready? I’m strike ready!” then broke out before the crowd dispersed.

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