How to Potluck Your Way to a Union
A small team of workers at a Portland Muji store has launched a groundbreaking unionization effort not through traditional labor tactics, but by hosting potlucks—dinner gatherings that became underground organizing hubs. After winning 'Store of the Year' in 2024, the staff were stunned to receive sub-inflation raises and pay cuts, sparking outrage over systemic abuse: emotional bullying, inconsistent enforcement of dress codes (with racial and body-shaming undertones), denial of sick leave, and a toxic HR system that funnels complaints through managers. When management attempted to split the union by excluding backroom staff and reclassifying shift leads as supervisors, the workers—without legal training—fought back in a National Labor Relations Board hearing, winning both challenges. Their victory wasn’t due to resources, but to grassroots coordination, shared trauma, and the power of community. Now, as they prepare for a union election, they’re emphasizing that unionizing isn’t just about contracts—it’s about reclaiming dignity, building mutual aid, and turning the workplace into a space of joy and solidarity. The real power, they argue, lies not in legal victories, but in the simple act of showing up for each other. The episode reveals that organizing isn’t about perfect strategy or elite expertise—it’s about people choosing to gather, complain, eat, and act together.
Host potlucks to build union momentum—this Portland Muji team grew their underground organizing from 2 to 12 attendees by framing meetings as social dinners, not work talks.
Winning 'Store of the Year' didn’t bring raises—it triggered a pay cut, proving that corporate recognition doesn’t equal worker dignity.
Workers were denied sick leave even after using all their allotted time, highlighting how service jobs force employees to choose between health and income.
Managers pressured staff to avoid sick time, implying illness is a personal failure—this pseudo-eugenicist rhetoric is rampant in service industries.
Uniform policies were enforced more harshly on people of color and larger-bodied workers, revealing systemic bias disguised as 'professionalism'.
…and 5 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Spark: Winning 'Store of the Year' with Sub-Inflation Raises
“For example, my raise of 65 cents last summer. Jesus Christ! Was the highest by a significant margin. What? Yes. It went as low as around like 25 cents.”
The Potluck Strategy: Turning Dinner into Organizing
“The potlucks came about because I had the idea that people are going to be more willing to come to an event if it wasn't just going to be a meeting where they sat down and had to talk shop...”
The Systemic Abuse: From Emotional Abuse to Sick Leave Denial
“They apply policies that we have this employee handbook that has this list of requirements and expectations. And it is not really a huge part of our employment, typically. But the policies that they have listed there are applied inconsistently.”
The Cover-Up: Sexual Harassment and Retaliation
“They started pulling people into the office and essentially having one-on-one conversations that were honestly quite scary to the people that were trying to spread the word about this.”
The Legal Victory: Winning Without Lawyers
“We managed to shoot down both of those contests in a board hearing with the National Labor Relations Board. Hell yeah! That rocks! It really does.”
“But, for example, one thing that I can talk about is that we have an ICE response plan. Like, what do we do if ICE shows up at our workplace and tries to rate us? We have a plan for that.”
“The goal is not a contract. The goal is to use direct action to enact the changes that you want to see in your workplace for what are probably obvious reasons.”
“It's just like in the same way that like economics is designed to be esoteric and, you know, like finance is designed to be difficult to understand. In the immortal words of Dan Olson, there are plenty of C students who've gotten economics degrees.”
Host
Guests
Muji
brand
Morgan
person
Renee
person
Portland
place
National Labor Relations Board
organization
Industrial Workers of the World
organization
Lighthouse
organization
IWW
organization
Oregon Labor and Industries
organization
It Could Happen Here Weekly 234
3h 32m • 5/30/2026
It Could Happen Here Weekly 234
3h 32m • 5/30/2026
SYMHC Classics: Vanport Flood
26m • 5/30/2026
The Slenderman Stabbing | CreepCast
2h 15m • 5/31/2026
Roger Anclam UAW 95 & 2209 Region 4 Rep. Retired Part 2 My Labor Radio 5 31 26
55m • 5/31/2026
CZM Book Club: The End, Like Sand, by Margaret Killjoy
35m • 5/31/2026
Bears! And the Guys Who Don’t Like Them
1h 17m • 6/1/2026
The War on Iran and Convergences of Fascism
26m • 6/4/2026
Executive Disorder: California Elections, SCOTUS Approves GOP Map, Greg Bovino Update
1h 7m • 6/5/2026
Start discovering podcast insights today
Start with a 7-day trial and explore a growing catalog of popular podcasts. No credit card required.
No credit card required • 7-day trial • Cancel anytime