Workers at Anodyne Coffee in Milwaukee vote to form union

Workers at the Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company in Milwaukee voted Wednesday to form a union, the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Union, or MASH, announced.

MASH now represents 50 workers at the company with locations across the Milwaukee metro area.

Anodyne workers previously told WPR they wanted a union in response to pay cuts for new hires and diminishing influence over company decisions since its acquisition by private equity firm Great Range Capital in 2023.

The firm manages Anodyne through its subsidiary FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective.

All 50 workers had already signed union cards in April, according to MASH. That meant they could bypass the National Labor Relations Board elections process, per 2023 NLRB standards.

But that process hinges on employers’ recognition of the card count. Anodyne’s owners claimed MASH didn’t represent a majority of Anodyne workers, setting the stage for a May 21 NLRB election that had to be postponed midday due to “administrative reasons beyond the control of any party to the election,” per an NLRB filing.

“Instead of allowing the NLRB to resume balloting to complete the election, the employer’s union-busting attorney forced the NLRB to expend additional resources to re-run the whole election, delaying matters another two weeks,” a MASH statement claimed.

The union said not a single worker voted against union representation, with 37 people voting in favor, zero against and seven under challenge.

“Anodyne has always been about more than just coffee—it’s about the people behind the bar, in the roastery, and everywhere in between. That’s what makes this place special. We are committed to building what’s next together,” wrote a FairWave Specialty Coffee Collective spokesperson in a statement to WPR.