“Fists up, mugs down, Milwaukee is a union town,” Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co. employees and Milwaukee community members chanted on the corner of South Kinnickinnic Avenue and East Trowbridge Street.
Anodyne Coffee employees went on strike Saturday, June 27, protesting what they called unfair labor practices and unionization delays from private equity owner FairWave Special Coffee Collective.
“Our labor is what power we have,” said Marie Freves, an Anodyne employee. “We’re able to use our power collectively … to influence [FairWave] to come to the table and bargain with us over these changes that they’ve made.”
Cowbells, drums, guitars, a bass, a megaphone and loud voices were joined by passerby car horns, making for a presence that couldn’t be ignored.
A sea of people wearing black T-shirts reading “Ready to bargain, ready to fight, will strike if provoked” paced outside several Milwaukee Anodyne Coffee locations, saying there would be no coffee without a contract. Three of the company’s four Milwaukee-area cafes were expected to remain closed all day.
“Anodyne workers will be ready 11 times out of 10 to say, ‘This is our livelihood, this is the company that we have built with our hands, with our labor, and we’re going to fight to protect Anodyne,'” said Peter Rickman, president/business manager of Milwaukee Area Service & Hospitality Workers Union.
Anodyne Coffee employees embarked on their unionization journey in April 2025, followed by a vote in June 2025 approving the union. FairWave filed objections shortly after, challenging the validity of the election. The National Labor Relations Board, which governs union organizing campaigns and supervised the initial election, dismissed the objections “in their entirety” in September.
Why did workers strike?
Bargaining over a contract with the company began in December 2025. While FairWave agreed with employees on part of a union contract, Rickman said there are major issues that FairWave hasn’t addressed.
During bargaining, Rickman said FairWave made unilateral changes to job duties, working conditions, worker compensation and more, which is illegal under NLRB rules. This is what pushed employees to strike, he said.
“They are not allowed to just simply steamroll over workers,” Rickman said. “Those days are over.”
The union informed Anodyne of its strike with just “one minute’s notice,” said FairWave CEO Justin Seamonds in a statement to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He believes the action is related to the introduction of a new breakfast sandwich.
Seamond was disappointed by the lack of notice, saying discussion with union leadership has been consistent up to this point, which has led to “meaningful progress towards an agreement.”
Rickman said private equity companies aren’t used to workers, especially baristas, fighting back.
“We’re recovering this lost memory [of strikes] and rebuilding our muscles of fighting bosses,” he said, saying the movement is about dignity, rights, respect and living wages; which require a fight.
Some customers weaved through protesting workers in an attempt to go inside the coffee shop.
“We apologize to our valued customers who look forward to spending part of their day with us,” Seamonds said. “We look forward to our team members returning to work.”
Anodyne at Milwaukee’s Public Market will be open on reduced hours, while other locations remain closed, Seamonds said.
4 locations, dozens of participants
Pickets and strikes were organized at four Milwaukee area Anodyne Coffee locations: Bay View, the Public Market, Walker’s Point and Wauwatosa.
There are about 50 employees across these four locations, Rickman said; they planned to picket at all four locations from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday. One worker even offered throat lozenges so people could continue using their voices all morning.
Community members were encouraged to join, and employees handed them signs to hold. Freves said it was amazing to see customers, politicians and community members in support of labor and workers’ rights.
Michael Rosen, former president of the American Federation of Teachers Local 212 of Milwaukee Area Technical College, said he is encouraged by young workers who came out to fight for “living wages.”
“People have a right to have a voice on the job,” Rosen said.
Contact Elena Metinidis at emetinidis@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Anodyne Coffee strike draws attention to worker concerns
Reporting by Elena Metinidis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Elena Metinidis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
