Discourse Workers Have Unionized

Moonwater by Ryan Castelaz. Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki

Workers at Discourse have won voluntary union recognition after a third-party card count found majority support for this, cafe management announced Monday.

The move establishes the Discourse Coffee Workers Union, which is expected to begin contract negotiations in the coming months with representation from the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization (MASH).

“Workers want to have a voice, a seat at the table and a say in the future, as opposed to a critique of existing management or some problem with the company that needed to be fixed immediately,” MASH President Peter Rickman told Urban Milwaukee in an interview, adding that Discourse management “deserves credit for remaining neutral throughout the process.”

Rickman said 74% of workers voted to join the union, though he believes actual support is higher, noting that some employees have not yet had a chance to sign on.

“We have always stood behind our teams, and we are incredibly excited to foster a strong relationship with their union, ensuring that equitable compensation and employee well-being remain at the core of our mission as we grow in Milwaukee and beyond,” Castelaz said in a statement.

Initially launched in 2017 in Sister Bay, Discourse expanded to Milwaukee in 2021 and added a Chicago residency last summer. Castelaz now runs the business with operating partner Sean Liu.

Management said it offers competitive starting wages and paid time off, as well as health, dental and vision benefits, in an effort to support long-term employees and “career baristas.”

“All hospitality work should provide living-wage employment and dignity, rights and respect on the job — and workers secure these through a union and a contract,” Rickman said, noting that Discourse joins a broader wave of local and national organizing. “Something that’s really defined this wave … is that you quit the jobs you don’t like and you work to change the jobs you love.”

Discourse’s union comes nearly a year after a similar effort yielded different results. Last April, Anodyne workers and MASH requested union recognition from parent company Fairwave Holdings LLC.

Fairwave twice appealed the results of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) supervised election, prompting a public campaign demanding that representatives come to the bargaining table. The Kansas City-based parent company began sessions with MASH in December, but has not yet produced a counter-proposal, Rickman said.

At Discourse, leadership completed the recognition process in less than two weeks, providing what Rickman called “an example for what other employers around Milwaukee can and should do.”

Employees are now working with MASH to brainstorm terms for the first union contract and elect a bargaining committee, with negotiations expected to begin soon.

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