Last month, the Hillcrest location voted to unionize, and the popular coffee chain continues to expand in Southern California and Arizona.
SAN DIEGO — A second Better Buzz company has voted to unionize.
Workers in Mira Mesa won a union election Monday, less than a month after the flagship store of the popular Hillcrest coffee chain did the same.
Workers are organizing under the name Better Buzz United and have joined United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135. They are fighting for better working conditions, including better wages, benefits, schedules and workplace safety.
In a statement on behalf of the union, organizers called the election “a significant step forward for workers.”
“The success of Mira Mesa and Hillcrest is part of a broader movement to improve the working conditions of all employees at the company. As part of that movement, Better Buzz Coffee continues its rapid expansion in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada,” the statement reads.
Employees began the process in April. Better Buzz has more than 20 locations in Southern California and beyond. It is expanding to Southern California, Arizona and Nevada.
“It is shameful that a company that boasts of its rapid expansion and plans for continued growth continues to neglect the workers who are the lifeblood of its business,” UFCW Local 135 organizing director Maribel Mckinze said in a statement. “Better Buzz Mira Mesa workers have shown the power that workers have when they come together to fight for what they rightfully deserve. While the company has plans for expansion, so does the union.”
SEE RELATED: Employees of San Diego’s most popular coffee chain want to unionize (April 25, 2024)
