Punch came out with an article that summarizes the current situation developing at Attaboy NYC. The article also contains an interview with Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin, who’s been at the bar since six months after it opened. He goes over the union’s goals and how management hasn’t formally addressed their requests.
The Attaboy Union’s instagram account got some backlash from others in the industry, some even claiming that this would be the death of Attaboy.
I wanted to start a new topic that discusses the legitimacy of unions in cocktail bars, the history of unions and bars/why so few bartenders are part of unions, and the possible outcomes of the current situation at Attaboy.
On a personal note, I’m curious as to why the industry has been less than supportive of unionization. On the craft side of things, there’s been some progress towards better wages, healthcare, social acceptance, etc (however, there’s still a lot of room to improve), so it seems almost ironic that while on one hand some bar owners are advocates for social justice but on the other they are anti-union.