San Francisco’s Dandelion Chocolate pushed back Sunday against union accusations that a wave of job cuts targeted organizing committee members. The craft chocolate maker insists the layoffs stemmed from pandemic economics, not retaliation.
Fifteen positions disappeared last week at the Valencia Street operation, roughly 40% of its 80-person workforce. Another 19 workers face shorter hours or pay reductions. Union organizers allege all nine dismissed employees belonged to the organizing committee, a pattern they call deliberate intimidation.
Christine Keating, who taught chocolate education classes at the plant, said the company “definitely” factored union support into termination decisions. Her fellow organizers plan to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.
Chief Executive Todd Masonis countered that the reductions cut across every category: managers and non-managers, voluntary and involuntary departures, union backers and neutral staff alike. Cuts within departments followed seniority, he said, and profitability alone determined which teams shrank.
The union vote had already closed before the layoffs, Masonis noted, so the outcome stands unaffected. “Many vocal union supporters are still members of the team,” he added.
As a result, the dispute turns on timing and intent. Dandelion claims demand for its $10 to $18 artisan bars slumped through the pandemic and into the slow summer season. The company says it warned the International Longshore and Warehouse Union about the coming cuts twice, once a month prior and again 10 days before implementation. No response arrived, Masonis said.
Union organizer Agustin Ramirez characterized the layoffs as a targeted campaign to cripple the organizing effort. The National Labor Relations Board will likely determine whether the company’s economic rationale holds up under scrutiny.
