Workers at Kim's in Uptown Minneapolis vote to unionize
MINNEAPOLIS — Workers at a premiere Minneapolis restaurant, Kim's, voted to unionize on Thursday, despite some pushback from owner and award-winning chef Ann Kim.
A majority of workers — 65% — voted "yes" to join Unite Here Local 17, Minnesota's hospitality and craft beverage workers union.
Workers signed a petition in favor of unionizing in late May, saying they struggled with wages and scheduling. Kim pushed back and said the move wasn't necessary.
Theo Hofrenning spoke to WCCO about why he unionized.
"Wages is one thing, but stability in terms of scheduling is another," Hofrenning said. "We are a no tip restaurant and that also affects people in the front of house and back of house, because if we aren't earning tips, it can be hard."
He makes $26 an hour and says when on-call shifts are canceled it directly impacts his family. He said he believes a union would give him more control over the conditions at work and will allow him to be part of the decision-making process.
"From the beginning, our goal has always been to give our team members the opportunity to participate in a fair election and cast their own vote. It was important to me that everyone's voice was heard. I respect the election results and look forward to working with the team as we move into the future," Ann Kim said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the restaurant was vandalized when someone threw a large cement slab and a paint can through the window.
The union issued a statement on the vandalism, saying, in part that the "city and community face many challenges and these occurrences are all too common."
The union also encouraged Minneapolis residents to continue to support the restaurant.
Kim recently rebranded the restaurant on West 31st Street from Sooki and Mimi and transformed it into a new restaurant, simply called Kim's. The dishes are based on her Korean-American journey.
