The Virginia Worker

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Editor’s Note: The Blue Ridge IWW has issued the following statement over a recent National Labor Relations Board settlement between their union members and Red Rooster Coffee Roasters based in Floyd, Virginia.

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FLOYD, VA: In 2024 workers at Red Rooster Coffee Roasters, based in Floyd, Virginia, began organizing over workplace conditions with the hope of improving their jobs and quality of life. Red Rooster Coffee Roasters spends extensive time and money to promote the enterprise as ethical and progressive. From emphasis on purchasing fair trade coffee beans, to a childcare program for the workforce, Red Rooster owners want to convey to consumers their product is worth support beyond the typical corporate shops, such as Starbucks. 

But just as Starbucks workers organized and took action for better work conditions and terms of employment, both groups of coffee workers faced resistance from their bosses. Red Rooster workers, from the manufacturing side, to the baristas, felt the stress and pressure to perform their jobs above and beyond work standards and compensation which results in turnover, low morale, and disillusionment. 

This was the basis for Red Rooster workers to organize. Workers joined the Blue Ridge Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) with the objective to unionize. Eventually a lead worker-organizer was fired under dubious circumstances and the union local pressed for charges to be filed with the National Labor Relations Board for illegal conduct by the Red Rooster bosses against workers engaging in protected concerted activity. 

After two years of investigation, the NLRB has found merit to the charges filed by workers against Red Rooster bosses. As a result, Red Rooster bosses must communicate to the workforce that their rules and policies can’t infringe upon the rights of workers to organize, which includes communication on internal channels, that workers have a right to complain about workplace conditions outside of the workplace, including on social media, and that workers can be disgruntled about their workplace conditions without facing reprisal from the employer.

The NLRB legal notice will be posted without obstruction or alteration for 60 days, as well as emailed and messaged to the workforce so employees will know their bosses will not violate their rights. This is one small victory for Red Rooster workers and we hope they continue to unionize. The Blue Ridge IWW seeks to build solidarity among all workers across the region and assist them to build worker power, no matter how small or big the shop is. 

An injury to one is an injury to all.