LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Unionized baristas at Sunergos Coffee held a rally Monday afternoon to signal their intent to strike. 

According to a news release from 32BJ SEIU, an affiliate of the Service Employees International Union, some customers will join employees in boycotting the coffee shop.

"I hope that the customer boycott shows the company how much support we have from our customers, said Bekah Jarboe, a Sunergos worker and bargaining committee member in a written statement. "We wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without their support. We are so thankful to be able to lean on our community as we fight for what we need," 

The rally was held at 1 p.m. Monday at SEIU's headquarters at 4100 Churchman Lane. That's where employees will announce their plans to strike at any moment during the busy holiday season, saying the company has refused to bargain in good faith.

The Greater Louisville Central Labor Council and Kentucky AFL-CIO are expected to announce commitments to financially support the striking workers, according to a news release. 

Sunergos is the second-largest coffee chain in Louisville, with five locations and more than 63 employees. Starting wages for workers are $8.25 an hour with few benefits, according to the news release.

In January, Sunergos workers voted to form a union with 32BJ SEIU, joining the national wave of labor uprisings among baristas at Starbucks, Heine Brothers' Coffee and other coffee stores.

Founded in 2003 by Matthew Huested and Brian Miller, Sunergos has a roastery at its flagship location on Woodlawn Avenue in south Louisville's Beechmont neighborhood.

In addition to customer tips, the company’s baristas earn from $8.25 to $10.25 an hour, while those who are promoted to shift leads earn up to $12.25, according to documents filed in the NLRB case.

The announcement follows months of efforts by workers to make progress on a contract.

Earlier this year, both Sunergos and Starbucks workers went on strike to protest the companies' refusal to negotiate contract agreements and retaliation against union supporters.

With low-paid jobs and an often transient workforce, coffee shops have not traditionally been stronghold for organized labor. But a unionization trend has swept the industry in the last couple of years.

On Nov. 16, workers at five Louisville area Starbucks either refused to show up for work or walked out on "Red Cup Day," one of the chain's busiest days. 

At least 363 company-operated Starbucks stores in 41 states have voted to unionize since late 2021. Louisville's Baxter Avenue location was the latest to join the union, and the fourth in metro Louisville to vote to unionize. The Clarksville location was the first in Indiana to unionize. 

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