UES Board Game Cafe Announces Union Drive

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Employees at a popular game board cafe are trying to upgrade their unionization stats from zero to fully maxed out.

Workers at Hex & Co, a board game cafe with three locations in Manhattan, say they love their jobs, but their pay is not keeping up with the cost of living in New York City.

So on Tuesday, they announced their plans to form a union, called Hex Workers United.

"We want a livable wage, we want a path to advancement in the company to be clear and we want adequate staffing to handle the multitude of jobs we are asked to do," a worker says in a video where workers presented their union letter to management at the cafe's Upper East Side location on Tuesday.

Hex & Co has locations in the Upper East Side, Morningside Heights and Union Square, and reportedly has plans to expand to Philadelphia and Long Island, according to Worker's United.

"I have loved the job and the people I work with, but I haven't been able to afford a life here," said a worker in the video.

Their demands include a living wage of $22.50 an hour, a transparent path to promotions and adequate staffing to meet the workload.

"We've had coworkers and friends who have had to leave not only this job, but also New York, because they just couldn't afford to stay," said employee Jace Alejo. " All we are asking for is to be recognized and properly supported by this company that we already give so much to."

Representatives for management did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Worker's United — the same group that has unionized 360 Starbucks across the country — says the Hex & Co bargaining unit will include about 75 employees, including baristas, retail workers, bartenders, after school program workers and workers who run some of the games, also known as "dungeon masters."

Under new protocol from regulators, the burden to petition the National Labor Relations Board for an election if the union is not voluntarily recognized now lies with management, according to Restaurant Business Online. Previously, workers would petition the NLRB for an election if management declined to recognize the union.

Already, the city's first board game cafe union has gained support from local elected officials.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Congressman Jerry Nadler, Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, State Senator Liz Krueger and City Council Members Carlina Rivera and Julie Menin all signed a letter urging management to voluntarily recognize the Hex & Co union.

"I fully support the workers at Hex seeking to unionize and negotiate better working conditions, and I urge management to recognize their union and negotiate in good faith," Krueger told Patch.

"During my tenure as Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment, I actively supported the unionization of parking production assistants to ensure better health coverage and a fair contract," Menin said to Patch. "All workers have the fundamental right to organize for the establishment of their union and I stand in solidarity with the employees of Hex & Co board game cafe."

Hex & Co is a joint venture with Greg May and Jon Freeman, who had previously run their own board game cafes in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The Upper East Side Hex & Co is located at 1462 First Ave., at East 76th Street. It took over the space after the longtime 3-Start Diner closed in early 2020 just before the pandemic.