The employees of the Cleveland Park paint-your-own pottery studio All Fired Up have voted to unionize. The staffers began a campaign to formally unionize in early April, and they voted to do so during a National Labor Relations Board election Monday. The decision was unanimous, staffer Toni Lewis tells Washingtonian.
“Unionization gives us a formal role in shaping policy and process,” the employees’ organizing committee’s members—who said staffers were inspired by similar efforts at Crumbs and Whiskers cat cafe in Georgetown and Aslin Beer Company—wrote in a statement. “As a small business without HR, we need a way to advocate for our needs.”
Liz Winchell, who owns All Fired Up, tells Washingtonian that while she opposed the unionization effort, she felt that a vote on formally unionizing was the “most appropriate and fair way to determine” what employees wanted. The workers say they’re looking for higher base pay, paid sick leave, and options for health care coverage among other demands. At the moment, full-time employees in non-leadership positions make minimum wage and receive zero benefits, committee members say.
Lewis says at least two people have been laid off since unionization efforts kicked off. Another employee was told they would not be guaranteed any hours after returning from their time-off request. One of them was part-time employee Abigail Gaudinier, who says she was laid off shortly after she shared a post on her public social media account in support of the union.
“With respect to the recent staffing decisions, those decisions were based on legitimate business considerations and were unrelated to any employee’s protected activity or views regarding unionization,” Winchell tells Washingtonian. “Because these involve individual personnel matters, we are limited in what we can publicly discuss, but we reject any suggestion that employment decisions were made in retaliation for lawful union activity.”
Still, staff say the drive got touchy at times as unionization gained momentum. During her nearly three years of employment there, Gaudinier described “waves” of tension and friendliness between staff and management. During Monday’s vote, staffers went inside the building one by one to cast their ballots. Lewis says that while she was entering, Winchell’s mother was “outside the shop telling workers they should feel ‘disgusting’ for ‘destroying a business and a family.’”
Unionizing was “the only option to get a conversation at this point,” Gaudinier says. “We’re not looking to take her down, or revenge or bleed the business dry.”
Winchell declined to comment on any individual conversations, but added: “Our priority throughout this process has been to maintain professionalism and respect for all involved, even where emotions may run high on both sides.”
The new union hopes customers will encourage the shop’s management to swiftly bargain a contract. “We need the community to know we can’t do this without them,” employee Jasmine Taylor says.
Moving forward, Winchell said that the company intends to comply with “all applicable legal obligations” and, when the results are certified by the NLRB, will act in “good faith,” as required by law.
“We respect the outcome of the election and the right of our employees to make their own decisions regarding union representation,” Winchell says. “Our focus remains on continuing to operate All Fired Up responsibly, supporting our employees, and maintaining a productive and respectful workplace for everyone.”
Jenae Barnes previously reported and fact-checked for Capital B Gary in Indiana, 5280 Magazine in Denver, Forbes in New York and ABC News in Washington, D.C. She is a 2024 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow. As a DC-area native, she received her Bachelor’s from George Mason University and Master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School.
