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Workers at Eeva in Kensington have unionized

The owners intend to voluntarily recognize the union, making it the first independent unionized restaurant in the city.

Eeva line cook Logan “Log” Paz supplies the wood oven with local wood for the night from Phil's Firewood at the Kensington bakery/restaurant Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Eeva's wood-fired oven is a huge part of its kitchen, and Paz says he is the person, “in charge of the wood.”
Eeva line cook Logan “Log” Paz supplies the wood oven with local wood for the night from Phil's Firewood at the Kensington bakery/restaurant Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. Eeva's wood-fired oven is a huge part of its kitchen, and Paz says he is the person, “in charge of the wood.”Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer
    by Jenn Ladd
    Published 

Local 80, Philly’s food-service union, celebrated another victory this weekend as it welcomed its latest member: Eeva, the Kensington bakery/restaurant from the owners of ReAnimator Coffee. It is the first independent restaurant in the city to unionize.

“The management team at Eeva intends to voluntarily recognize the Eeva staff union,” Eeva’s owners, Mark Corpus, Greg Dunn and Mark Capriotti, said in a statement to The Inquirer on Monday.

“From the start, Eeva has been an experiment in bringing together highly seasonal and market-driven foods and the people who enjoy them,” the statement continued. “Our all-day bakery, restaurant, and bottle shop are powered by curious, creative people who constantly challenge Eeva to grow, adapt, and reinvent itself. In that spirit, we look forward to ushering in this next chapter of Eeva and continuing to grow this experiment with our staff and our community of supporters in the years to come.”

On Monday morning, line cook Logan Paz, a member of Eeva’s organizing committee, expressed excitement at ownership’s response. Staff had notified the owners of the intent to organize at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, about the time bakers get to work on the shop’s daily breads and pastries.

“We’re all really happy that everyone is understanding and excited to see what happens next,” Paz said, alluding to the union’s next order of business: negotiating a first contract. The local is affiliated with Workers United.

Paz said organizing efforts started percolating in October, after ReAnimator’s owners voluntarily recognized the union there. “Just seeing the support from management and the owners, and the bravery it took to come out with this [announcement that] they were going to unionize, was a huge motivator.”

Most workers were enthusiastic about the idea of unionizing, he said, adding that it builds on the good relationship between management and staff. Their work together has helped win praise for Eeva’s wood-fired pizzas and naturally leavened loaves.

“We all enjoy working at the restaurant,” Paz said. “In the grand scheme of things, we all feel that even good jobs should be unionized ... for a better future, a brighter future.”

Eeva is the sixth establishment to join Local 80, which, in addition to workers at ReAnimator, also represents workers at Elixr, Good Karma, and Ultimo. While it is the first restaurant with dinner service to join the union, Eeva is not the first restaurant or bakery in Philly to unionize: Korshak Bagels in South Philly unionized in 2021, as did employees at the Wayward restaurant and its adjoining hotel, Canopy by Hilton, in Center City. Korshak Bagel workers are represented by Local 80; Wayward staff is part of Unite Here Local 274, which represents various hotel workers.