Since last summer, workers at a Brooklyn pizzeria have been in the process of unionizing. If successful, they will be the first to form a union at a New York City slice joint.
The workers are demanding higher wages, more agency over their schedules, clear distinction around a “three-strike” disciplinary policy, and a “no tolerance” sexual harassment policy. The workers are also asking for a shop steward to be a union representative.
The pizza parlor currently employs around 40 workers, all non-managerial positions, who work as line cooks, bartenders, bussers, and servers. The ownership switched hands last October from the original proprietor Ron Brown, who opened Barboncino, to husband-and-wife duo Jesse Shapell and Emma Walton, one of the first managers at Barboncino.
And while the new owners made some positive changes, workers say they are pressing on with their pursuit of unionization in search of greater improvements. The workers seek a starting wage of $25 per hour for back-of-house employees and $15 an hour for front-of-the-house workers.
Summer flood contributes to the tension
Since 2011, Barboncino has been doling dough, Neapolitan-style, in Crown Heights. The restaurant is a go-to pizzeria on Franklin Avenue, bustling with modern cocinas serving food from around the world.
Aiden Hart, a busser and server who’s worked at Barboncino for nearly two years, told amNewYork Metro he was at risk of losing his job, along with another worker, when he refused to continue working after cleaning sewage from a burst pipe that flooded the downstairs area last summer.
Initially, he put on a good face to clean the mess, knowing full well that these types of situations happen from time to time in the service industry. Despite offering to stay, Hart was turned off by the previous ownership’s attitude towards workers’ safety and decided to throw in the towel.
Because a former manager covered Hart and another worker after they left that evening to…
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