Indeed Brewing has a union label.
Workers at the taproom and production facility in northeast Minneapolis successfully formed a union last month after over two years of organizing with the Twin Cities hospitality union, UNITE HERE Local 17.
The new bargaining unit brings together 31 workers, an overwhelming majority of whom not only signed union cards, but added their mugshots to a photo petition that organizers delivered to brewery management April 1.
Ten days later, Indeed formally agreed to recognize the union.
Indeed is the second craft brewery in the Twin Cities where workers have formed a union. Fair State Brewing Cooperative granted its workers’ request for representation by Local 17 in 2020, and they settled a first contract in August 2021. The union also represents workers at Brother Justus distillery.
More organizing gains could be ahead for craft beverage workers, thanks to a pro-worker provision in Minnesota’s new cannabis law, passed by DFL lawmakers last year. It includes a labor peace requirement for companies seeking a license to produce cannabis or THC products – like the seltzers that have popped up in so many local taprooms, including Indeed’s, in recent years.
Local 17 organizer Anders Bloomquist, a former Fair State worker, said craft beverage makers that want to continue making their own products with THC will likely need to work with unions like UNITE HERE to prove that they meet the licensing requirement.
“We are anticipating that a fairly large number of employers who are producing THC beverages will be signing labor peace agreements to get their licensing,” Bloomquist said. “This will be a process that we’re excited for – to have those labor peace agreements and begin talking with the workers there about why they might want to join a union.
“We’re ready to help anyone in this industry who decides it’s time to make a real change.”
The victory at Indeed is the latest in a string of successful organizing campaigns for Local 17. Workers at seven Twin Cities venues operated by First Avenue formed a union last November, and workers in the Macalester College dining facility joined UNITE HERE in April.
“When workers see other workers stand up and make a real change in their life, it tells them it’s possible to make a change in their lives too,” Bloomquist said. “Lots of workers are deciding it’s time for something different.”
Indeed Brewing is located at 711 15th Ave. NE in Minneapolis. The venue offers a tap room, to-go sales, event spaces and an outdoor patio.
See a full list of union bars, restaurants, clubs, hotels and craft beverage spots at uniteherelocal17.org.
Union Advocate 