Mighty Good Coffee in Ann Arbor to close its locations over labor dispute

ANN ARBOR – Mighty Good Coffee in Ann Arbor is reportedly shutting its four downtown locations following a dispute with its baristas who unionized.

Workers protested outside the locations on Main Street and South University Tuesday afternoon holding signs saying, "Mighty Good Owners are Union Busters" and "Support Baristas Support WACWA." The latter is an abbreviation for the union they organized in October called the Washtenaw Area Coffee Workers' Association. 

The baristas say they have been understaffed in recent months. When they filed an unfair labor practice against the owners last week, the workers said they received notice days later that all locations will be shutting down.

The notice from the owners' attorney said they are "too stressed out to continue" negotiations with their employees, according to MLive.

Mighty Good Coffee has not released a statement and the owners could not be reached for comment.

Mighty Good first came under fire in August 2018 when a black employee quit after discovering she earned less than her junior co-workers, sparking debate about the company's practices.

At the time, Mighty Good released the following statement:

Owners and husband and wife team David Myers and Nic Sims also own the Jefferson Market on Ann Arbor's Old West Side. A staff member told A4 Wednesday that there is another side to the story.

For now, according to the letter sent to the baristas, the locations will close on the following dates:

• Main Street: Friday
• South University: May 5
• Jefferson: June 15
• Arbor Hills: Aug. 31

Mighty Good Coffee's Facebook and Instagram pages have been disabled.

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