UPDATE, 2/15: In a comment below, Aslin intends to voluntarily recognize the employees unionization drive and emailed the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) earlier today to that effect.
Beer is made by workers, and served by them as well. While employees of many macro breweries are unionized, that hasn’t been the case in the craft, independent beer community. Organized labor hasn’t made much headway in independent beer due to the size of many breweries, with close ties and blurred responsibilities between ownership and employees; the common enemy of craft beer, macro beer, makes dissent and critique difficult in some working environments; and a general decline in union membership, which has halved from 1983 to 2023.
The “so-called ‘passion economy’ industries like craft beer… attract workers and customers with a pitch that’s as much moral as it is financial. (‘Accept less for this job because you get to make good beer with good people.’ ‘Pay more for this good beer, because we’re locally owned and community-driven.’ You get the idea.),” wrote Dave Infante at Vinepair in an article well worth reading.
The DC-based staff at one of the larger area breweries’ taprooms is hoping to change that. On Monday, February 12, 2024, employees at Aslin’s 14th Street NW location near Logan Circle sent a letter to Aslin management regarding their intention to unionize.
“For months, we have been understaffed, despite many veteran employees not being scheduled to work. Our time has been disrespected and our concerns have gone unheard. Schedules are not published in a timely manner, making it impossible to plan our lives around work. Communication is absent, the turnover rate is unsustainable, facilities remain in a state of disrepair, and basic supplies take months to order. We are not being set up to succeed,” notes the letter, which DC Beer Media obtained a copy of, sent to Andrew Kelley and Kai Leszkowicz, co-founders of the brewing company.
Unionizing “would provide a seat at the table for Aslin staff, ensuring that our voices are being heard in decisions that affect our livelihoods. It would demonstrate to the staff and guests at Aslin that the company supports those who keep the stores running every single day. As the company continues to expand, a union would help ensure that sufficient resources are invested in current locations. For these reasons and more, we are excited to reach out to you [Aslin management] about forming this partnership.”
Interestingly, the letter, signed by ten employees and “others who prefer to remain anonymous,” does not mention wages or benefits. Our own Michael Stein wrote an excellent article for the Washington City Paper in 2019 on pay and benefits for area brewery employees, though it was written with brewers in mind, not bartenders and servers. While Aslin’s DC location does have a 1-barrel brewing system, it is not in use.
Employees typically use a union card voting system when deciding whether or not to collectively bargain with an employer; each person votes via a card. We’re told the union cards signed were unanimously in favor of unionizing. We reached out to Aslin management for comment, but understandably have not heard back. “We appreciate every one of our colleagues, and we believe deeply that forming a union can only improve Aslin’s experience, product, and workplace. With the support of SEIU – Workers United, we seek voluntary recognition of our union,” notes the letter.
As for next steps, Aslin can choose to recognize the union or a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)-conducted election will take place at a later date. Or Aslin could fire every hourly employee who works there, as other employers have done when confronted with a union drive [Note: commenters below correctly point out that this is illegal.].
Per a staff member at 14th Street, the best way to support the employees at Aslin is to support Aslin itself. Patronize the business at 1740 14th Street NW, voice support for staff union efforts, leave positive reviews, and of course, tip.
Aslin is the third-largest brewery in Virginia in terms of production and operates three locations in there–Alexandria, Herndon, and Virginia Beach–as well as one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At present employees at these locations do not appear to be part of the union drive. This is a developing situation and we will have more on this soon.
14 responses to “Union Strong: DC Aslin Employees Attempt to Unionize”
Great to see Aslin staff are forming a union! A couple key points from this post worth clarification re the process of unionization.
1) Aslin cannot in fact fire workers in response to their organizing drive. That is a blatantly illegal move that would almost certainly result in Unfair Labor Practice charges from the National Labor Relations Board. Workers’ right to organize free from retaliation is legally protected and everyone inspired by Aslin workers should know this!
2) Signed Union Election Authorization cards do not constitute a “Yes” vote in said election. Instead, once at least 30% of workers in a given workplace sign cards they are able to submit those cards to the National Labor Relations Board and trigger an election administered by the NLRB. They must then secure a majority of valid votes cast in that election as “Yes” votes in order to win their union and negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with their employer. Alternatively, Aslin ownership could do the right thing now and recognize the workers’ union voluntarily, allowing them to start negotiating a CBA without any delays. Definitely urge them to do just that!
Very exciting news and huge support to the aslin workers! One thing the article gets wrong is that the company could just fire all the workers. It is ILLEGAL to fire workers for unionizing, violating the National Labor Relations Act. Hoping that aslin follows the law so I can continue drinking their delicious beer!
There are a few facts that are misleading in this article. Notably signed Union cards are not “votes” per se, but rather an expression of workers desire to form a union or become members of the Union.
But most importantly, IT’S ILLEGAL TO FIRE WORKERS FOR UNIONIZING. The author is blatantly encouraging breaking federal law with the intent to deprive workers of their right to democracy in the workplace.
Solidarity to these brave workers for standing up for themselves!
Hi James. Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m the author and former member of SEIU 1199 and I appreciate you correcting me. However, I am not blatantly encouraging, or even encouraging, breaking the law. I do confess to being cynical: employment in DC is “at will” and employees can be fired for any number of reasons that might coincide with a unionization drive. These “coincidences” have occurred during other union drives and if they happen at Aslin, you’ll hear about it from this site and/or our social media, @dcbeer. Best, Jake
Collecting 30% support for a union is amazing work, props to all those workers. To win their union it’ll take them voting yes in the union election not just the cards they may have already signed. Also if this company fired all their employees for their union support that’s total violation of their rights and would surely face charges of unfair labor practices. Best wishes to this workers
I am happy they are seeking this opportunity.. But as a former employee with aslin I have experienced “darkness behind the curtains”. To elaborate they failed to meet staff needs. Staff HAS communicated about past management and rumors that were swept under the mat. I have witnessed bullying, manipulation, false promises, the assurance of having confidential meetings being outed, enforced breaks when not needed especially the hours the staff worked that day, basic resources like brooms, mops, scrubbers, and much more were delayed for purchase. I wish them the best but they need to look at the management faults.
Basically every issue they listed with the workplace sounds to me like an issue with the GM or whoever handles most of these things. Scheduling issues, lack of supplies being ordered, poor communication to staff. These seem less like reasons to unionize and more like a reason to get a new GM or whoever is supposed to be handling those extremely basic duties.
They severely underpay management which causes huge turnover. Which means higher ups take on management duties and don’t do it well. Not sure about dc but at Alexandria that was definitely the case.
Could this all be a byproduct of the loss of tip credit? Service workers in DC now receive BOTH minimum wage along with tips which can be a death knell for bars/restaurants trying to keep menu prices affordable while also controlling labor costs. This has been a key contributor (along with crime) of restaurant closures in the District
This is great! Kai and Andrew are two of the worst people I have ever met. They are manipulative bullies toward staff (I used to be one of them) and I am so happy that workers are standing up for themselves!
What is the best way for those of us in the public to support this effort? I’ve not been to one of their locations before, but I’m willing to patronize and vocalize my support for the organizing effort in a professional, respectful manner to any worker or management person that might be receptive to such. Please advise, not just for me, but for others that might desire to engage in likewise action!
Thanks, Mark. “Per a staff member at 14th Street, the best way to support the employees at Aslin is to support Aslin itself. Patronize the business at 1740 14th Street NW, voice support for staff union efforts, leave positive reviews, and of course, tip.”
Update: Aslin has voluntarily recognized the unionization efforts of our coworkers in DC as of 1 PM today.
At Aslin Beer Co., we’ve made a commitment to a handful of core values. Among these values, integrity is paramount, compelling us to lead with truth, respect, positivity, and empathy. This commitment is not just a promise to ourselves but extends to our entire team and community.
In the spirit of that respect and empathy, we have chosen to honor the intentions of our Washington, DC taproom employees and voluntarily recognize their unionization efforts. We believe in employees’ rights to unionize and we hope in coming to the table together, we will build a true partnership to make a better Aslin based on trust and collaboration.
As we grew from our humble beginnings brewing out of a garage to multiple locations throughout the DC/NOVA area and beyond, our team has also grown significantly. With this growth, we made a commitment to make Aslin a great place to work by delivering best-in-class benefits, fair compensation and a culture that celebrates the contributions of every team member. Recognizing our DC team’s unionizing initiative is another step in continuing that promise to pursue our team’s well-being.
We’re entering this next phase for our DC taproom with pride, curiosity, and humility. We are eager to engage in constructive dialogue with the union so that we can continue delivering exceptional experiences for our guests and employees alike.
Will Aslin support a collective bargaining agreement for all their workers? Is Aslin willing to allow their workers in their Virginia and Pennsylvania locations to vote on a union as well?