Employees at Minneapolis-based Indeed Brewing have agreed to organize with Unite Here Local 17 and brewery management has voluntarily recognized the union.
“Indeed has always prioritized the people who make this company run, making continuous improvements in areas like pay and pay transparency, benefits, family leave, and a safe and equitable work environment,” chief business officer Ryan Bandy said in a statement. “When it became clear that our people desired to organize, we were excited to honor that next step toward a better workplace, and we’re actively working with Unite Here Local 17 on the next steps down that path.
“We’ve seen a lot of change at Indeed in the 12 years since we opened in Northeast Minneapolis, and we’re looking forward to working together to usher in this next phase of Indeed,” he continued.
Nearly 80% of the 32 members of Indeed’s hourly staff signed union cards this week, Racket reported. This does not include Indeed’s employees who are salaried or in management. There are more than 50 workers in Minnesota, Indeed told Brewbound.
The brewery and the union “have together agreed to immediately enter into good faith negotiations, with the intent of providing a clear path to that fair process through a Labor Peace Agreement,” according to a statement provided to Brewbound.
“The vast majority of Indeed Workers have decided that they want a fair path to forming a union with Unite Here Local 17, Minnesota’s craft beverage union,” Unite Here Local 17 secretary-treasurer Sheigh Freeberg said in a statement. “I am extremely proud of these workers and glad that Indeed Brewing has agreed to respect their workers’ decision and begin negotiating a Labor Peace Agreement with us.”
Unite Here Local 17 has set its sights on craft beverage producers in recent years, including a win at craft distiller Brother Justus. The union represents more than 6,000 Minneapolis-area service industry workers at “hotels, restaurants, sports complexes, convention centers and the airport,” according to its website.
However, results have been mixed with craft breweries. Indeed’s proposed union’s smooth path to recognition stands in stark contrast to organization efforts at Minneapolis-based Surly Brewing in 2020. A vote to join Unite Here Local 17 failed by one vote in October 2020.
Surly’s front-of-house workers told management of their plan to organize on August 31, 2020. Two days later, the brewery announced it would indefinitely shutter its beer hall later that fall and lay off most of the staff. The beer hall has since reopened, but workers never unionized.
Elsewhere in Minneapolis, employees of Fair State Brewing Co-Op led a successful drive to join Unite Here Local 17 in September 2020 that CEO and founder Evan Sallee recognized immediately. Earlier this year, Fair State filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
“In Minneapolis, the topic of unionization has been talked about a lot in the past four to five years,” Bandy told Brewbound. “The topic hasn’t come up in any official capacity at Indeed, no, but in general we’ve seen it with our peers in the industry more widely over the past several years. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a lot of things to top of mind about workplaces and how they can be better for employees. In the world we live in, there are things that are outside of the control of any one person and it’s important for us to work together to improve things for everyone.”
It was important to recognize the union immediately to validate co-workers’ concerns, Bandy said.
“For me, these are the people that I’ve worked with for a long time, some for the better part of eight or nine years,” he said. “They’re a major piece of our company and this is the direction they want to go – who am I to stand in their way? Recognizing this union is about meeting our team where they are and recognizing their personal experiences.”
Because leadership and the union have yet to meet officially, Bandy said he was unsure of the group’s goals, but told Brewbound he “would assume it has to do with pay, benefits, and all the things that come along with working in a small brewery or any small company.”
“And I like problem solving, so I’m here for it,” he said. “I like problem solving however I hear about those issues, whether it’s via a union rep or at the bar over a pint. I always have been and will continue to be here to problem solve – that’s why I’m in this role.
“I will say that as a small company it’s hard to offer awesome benefits, and that’s challenging, and has always been a challenge,” Bandy continued. “So I don’t know for sure, but those are some things that could be on the list. We’re still super early on in this process.”
Bandy took the reins at Indeed in November 2023, after founder and former CEO Tom Whisenand stepped down from day-to-day operations to become an airline pilot. Bandy was promoted from director of experiences to chief business officer.
Whisenand’s tenure came under scrutiny in 2021 after co-founder Rachel Anderson shared her experiences of toxicity at the company in an essay titled “I am a Craft Beer Casualty.” Anderson detailed alleged intimidation and gaslighting by fellow co-founders Whisenand and Nathan Berndt that allegedly resulted in her being terminated in October 2015.
Anderson’s essay followed Indeed being named several times by anonymous women during a call for stories on Instagram by then-Notch Brewing production manager Brienne Allen (@ratmagnet). Following the anonymous stories, COO Kelly Moritz published an open letter to the public asking how the company could do better.
Whisenand published a letter from the company following Anderson’s essay.
“Rachel’s account of founding, working, and being terminated from Indeed is an example of gut-wrenching and imperfect decisions that exist within personal and business relationships,” Whisenand wrote. “As in life, there are countless things I’d wish we’d done better, things we’d learned quicker, and things we still need to learn. Rachel’s work set our brand on a positive course, is forever baked into our DNA and we are grateful for that.”
Indeed’s output increased +9%, to 20,100 barrels in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available from the Brewers Association (BA). The brewery, which operates outposts in Minneapolis and Milwaukee, was founded in 2012. Its beer is distributed throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota.
In addition to beer, Indeed began producing non-alcoholic, THC-infused sparkling beverages in Minnesota in 2022 following the passage of a state law that permitted the practice.