What Does It Take to Begin a Union?

Harvard Business Review · Oct 24, 2026 · 6m

What Does It Take to Start a Union?

31 Oct 2023

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What if the company you worked for couldn't make decisions without your input? In 2021, the workers at Pavement Coffeehouse in Boston found themselves wondering how they could have a bigger say in their working conditions. Not long after, they became the first unionized coffee shop in Massachusetts. Emma Delaney, a former supervisor at Pavement and now a full-time organizer at NEJB Unite Here, was one of the many employees that led the union's organization efforts. She shared with us what it was like to start a union at Pavement, what it…