
A crowd gathered Thursday outside of the Insomnia Cookies on the Boston University Charles River Campus to protest low wages, poor working conditions and union formation suppression at the business chain.
“We decided to go on strike for benefits, unionizing the store and higher pay wages,” said Insomnia Cookies ex-employee Jonathan Peña.
Student activists, union members and other supporters joined Peña at the 708 Commonwealth Ave. store location to voice complaints against the entire Insomnia Cookies organization. Members of BU’s Center for Gender, Sexuality and Activism and Student Labor Action Project were present at the rally.
Insomnia Cookies operates at more than 30 locations across the eastern U.S. and offers a delivery service of cookies, milk and other baked goods until 3 a.m.
The dissatisfaction that prompted the protest began with an employee strike at the Harvard Square location on Aug. 19, where workers voiced frustration over a lack of employee benefits and failure of the company to ensure adequate breaks, Peña said. Peña and three other striking workers were dismissed after the strike.
Members of the Industrial Workers of the World union, which has been involved with the Insomnia Cookies controversy since the protest at the Harvard location, also joined the crowd on Thursday.
Insomnia officials could not be reached for comment.
Peña, who worked at the Harvard Square Insomnia for only three days before striking, said the average turnover rate for employees is two to three weeks, likely due to low wages and poor working conditions.
The standard salary of a baker or cashier is $9 per hour, according to the Insomnia Cookies Website. Delivery drivers receive $5 per hour supplemented by tips received on deliveries.
“We just went on strike,” said Peña. “We felt as though we should just put our foot down and say, ‘you know what? We’re worth more than $9 an hour. We’re worth more than $5 an hour for bikers.’”
Peña said the store’s late hours require employees to work late into the night, often past 3:30 am, in a risky environment.
“I would have to make cash deposits at 3:30 in the morning, not knowing that if I walked out the door, I wouldn’t have been robbed at gunpoint,” he said. “… You have to deal with drunken people. You have to deal with people cursing at you for no reason because they’re drunk.”
Students for Labor Action Project President Talia Leonard said she wants Insomnia Cookies to recognize the right of workers to form unions and provide better pay for employees.
“They [employees] don’t make enough money, it’s not a living wage,” Leonard, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, said. “… Minimum wage is supposed to be made up by tips, but if you’ve ever worked a delivery job, you know that drunk college kids don’t always tip, so they don’t necessarily make minimum wage.”
Students for Labor Action Project member Lindsey Cohen said students should be involved in facilitating discussion for employee rights at stores they frequent.
“It’s important that BU students know that the things that they receive come from something that’s not necessarily so good,” Cohen, a College of Communication sophomore, said. “… Just because something is good for you doesn’t mean that it’s good in general.”
IWW member Patrick O’Meria, a 38-year-old Cambridge resident, said IWW joined the strike to advocate for the rights of Insomnia workers.
“This is a direct action to get an immediate result, and that doesn’t happen unless other working class people are in solidarity with their fellow workers,” O’Meria said.