Bounce, MASH partner on labor pact
Owners believe a union best option for staff
Milwaukee Area Service & Hospitality Workers Organization is partnering with Bounce Milwaukee in what they call “a landmark labor and workforce agreement for a post-pandemic reopening.”
Opened in May 2014, Bounce Milwaukee, 2801 South 5th Court, is equipped with inflatables, rock climbing, laser tag, a restaurant and ax-throwing.
The family entertainment center is set to reopen Sept. 18 after closing in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an unusual twist, the union push came from the Bounce owners more than the employees themselves.
“We have been talking about unionizing since we first opened,” said Becky Cooper, who founded Bounce with her husband, Milwaukee County Supervisor Ryan Clancy.
Cooper said they first presented the idea of unionizing to their staff in 2015, but the staff “didn’t want an extra step” between them and ownership.
The workers opted to not unionize during the opening of Bounce because Cooper and Clancy spent anywhere from eight to 16 hours a day at the site and staffers felt they were always able to communicate openly.
Cooper and Clancy were persistent, believing a union was the best option for the staff. “We brought it up a couple more times and people expressed interest, and nobody wanted to take on the actual organizing of it, or trying to find a union,” said Cooper.
Then came along MASH. Launched in 2018, MASH is a union specifically for service and hospitality workers in Milwaukee. Cooper and Clancy believed MASH would be a perfect fit for their employees.
The COVID-19 pandemic gave ownership a chance to organize the framework so they could present it to the workers. Cooper said the entire staff is now on board with a union.
“They’re so enthusiastic, it’s just really exciting and I think it’s a natural fit,” said Cooper.
Peter Rickman, president of MASH, in a news release, called the agreement a model for other employers in the hospitality, entertainment and tourism industries.
“Bounce is showing other hospitality, entertainment and tourism industry employers the way to address workforce challenges through meaningful voice and a seat at the table for workers, decent job quality standards, and workforce engagement through worker organization,” said Rickman.
Cooper said MASH is unique because it allows their staffers, who are nontraditional, the opportunity to organize. “We’re not talking about a factory floor or a nine-to-five workday,” said Cooper.
“It’s a really different circumstance and existing unions don’t necessarily speak to those issues. So it’s really great to have one that’s specifically for the service industry,” she added.
Cooper said it is especially important for workers in the service and hospitality industry to have some labor organization because “it’s a place where we’ve had the sub-minimum wage workers that have not had a voice.”
Justine Andrew, Bounce’s bar manager, believes unionization is the right thing to do.
“I want workers to be treated fairly and know that they are protected here,” Andrew said.