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Employees at the popular New York City bakery chain Breads Bakery have announced they are forming a union, citing concerns over wages, workplace safety, and workplace culture. The move affects all Breads locations, including the Upper East Side shop at 1294 Third Avenue and the UWS location at 1890 Broadway.
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The Breaking Breads Union, organizing with United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2179, represents approximately 275 workers across Breads’ Manhattan locations, including bakers, kitchen staff, cashiers, baristas, porters, caterers, and drivers. According to Local 2179 officials, more than 30 percent of eligible employees have signed authorization cards to join the union as of January 6.In a press release and an Instagram announcement on January 1, union organizers outlined their core demands: living wages, safer working conditions, and what they describe as basic respect from management. According to the union, despite Breads Bakery generating over $30 million in annual revenue based on internal records, workers earn between New York City’s minimum wage and approximately $20 per hour. The union states that even full-time workers at the top of the pay scale earn roughly $20,000 below a living wage for an adult with one child based on NYC cost-of-living standards.
Union materials cite several workplace safety incidents, including an August 2024 incident in which a worker was hospitalized with a concussion after a wall-sized locker tipped over. According to the union, workers had previously warned management that the locker was unstable, but it was not secured to the wall. The union also describes scheduling practices that make it difficult for workers to rely on consistent paychecks, and restrictions on workers taking food and drinks from the bakery. In one alleged incident, the union claims the Breads CEO chased an employee down the street for taking a bottle of water.
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The union also cited an incident in which a customer allegedly threatened to sexually assault a front-of-house worker, shouting he would “grab [the worker] by the p*ssy,” quoting President Trump. According to the union, when another employee asked the customer to leave, management intervened by offering the customer a free cookie and told employees he “didn’t get involved in politics.” Workers cite this as an example of what they describe as the disrespect management expects them to endure.The unionization effort also has an explicitly political component. In their announcement, workers stated they refuse to participate in what they describe as “Zionist projects,” including baking cookies featuring the Israeli flag and catering certain events. The union’s statement connects their workplace organizing to broader political concerns about the conflict in Gaza.
“We see our struggles for fair pay, respect, and safety as connected to struggles against genocide and forces of exploitation around the world,” stated Leah A., a recent Breads employee whom the union says was illegally fired for organizing.
Breads Bakery, and owned by Gadi Peleg (with Yonatan Floman as the CEO) and known for its Israeli-style pastries and award-winning chocolate babka, has not responded to requests for comment as of press time. The Breaking Breads Union is currently requesting voluntary recognition from Breads Bakery management. If the company does not agree to voluntary recognition, the union expects to petition the National Labor Relations Board for an election.
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The Breaking Breads Union represents the largest NYC craft bakery union in nearly a century, according to organizers. The union follows the recent success of the She Wolf Bakery Union, which the National Labor Relations Board legally recognized in February 2024. Breads Bakery operates locations in Union Square, the Upper East Side, Upper West Side, and Rockefeller Center, along with kiosks at Bryant Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park.Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
