January 23 BACC Town Hall Meeting Notes

5:30 pm, moderated by Emily

Ground rules

Read Code of Conduct
What we are discussing is such a personal and difficult, we need to be extra careful in how we talk today.
1. Please do not name people, unfortunately we are only three people as community organizers, however, we do have a small list of resources for you, for anyone who needs it, and if you feel more comfortable talking to someone one on one, within your community, I would be happy to talk with you and assist in any way I can.
2. We are here to share some of our stories or experiences, but be aware that this can be triggering for others.
3. No video or audio recording is allowed, as we want people to freely share

Reactions to news of lawsuit

How did you hear about it?

Was a lawsuit necessary?

Recent allegations against an Oakland chef – reported harassment in newspaper, but not lawsuit – did not seem to enact much change in culture
Consensus was yes

Sounds like it’s more important for community members to be supportive of each other

Was it shocking?

California sets a precedence for rest of country, in terms of HR. Shocking in the sense that it’s been poorly handled.
Not exactly shocking as a woman
As a barista, people go to the counter to tell you all sorts of things
Coming from the unhealthy kitchen culture, coffee is not as bad, which still does not justify any harassment
spending a lot of time unpacking the events for non-coffee people

What’s happening inside?

unknown, can’t speak for employees
One news article said it would be 2-3 years before it would be turned to 100% employee owned

Employee-invested?

does a name change change a culture
It’s an industry trust issue that’s at risk here
problematic to see customers commenting and praising the name change
working at coffee was refuge from restaurant culture, but not immune to harassment and assault
calls for boycott are against two owners still involved, not its employees
want to hear from the employees

What do you think the community response was like?

choice is good- as a cafe with a wholesale program, you don’t have to support them
impressed with the immediate response of wholesale accounts reacting to the news
while receiving a call from someone looking to switch roasters- was asked “How are you doing? How are they treating you there?”
At a cafe that was a wholesale client, they immediately dropped the roaster, but needed coffee. Was told by a local roaster, “Up to you on whatever decision you go with, here’s some free coffee for the week.”

HR –

A thorough employee handbook is important
a lot of companies aren’t thinking about growth or the future – no support for handbook or HR
“coffee as a family” can also be a bad thing, trying to fit into a culture or gain favors
work vs home- people treating work as home and taking advantage of blurred social lines

How can we use this momentum?

write HR policies in the company
Internal self work: what if I see this happen or hear about it again elsewhere, what am I going to do about it?
ask permission to give advice vs straight up giving advice
For companies- remember to convey your values with actions

What can the BACC do better?