Workers at Top New York Cocktail Bars Unionize — Will The Bold Move Prove Successful?

(Photo: Attaboy/Instagram)

Staff at one of New York City’s most prominent cocktail bars have launched a unionization effort.

Workers at Attaboy, a Lower East Side bar widely recognized as a global leader in cocktails, went public Saturday with plans to organize as Attaboy Local 134, saying on Instagram that the employees have submitted signed cards and paperwork to the National Labor Relations Board but “hope the owners of [Attaboy] will voluntarily recognize our union so we can begin contract negotiations, and refrain from any union busting activities.”

The proposed bargaining unit includes 18 roles, bartender Zack Gelnaw-Rubin told Dave Infante for his newsletter, “Fingers,” though the group did not disclose how many employees have signed union cards or the bar’s total headcount.

Attaboy, founded in 2013, has earned international recognition and was named North America’s best bar in 2022 by The World’s 50 Best Bars.

“We love Attaboy and believe the only way for it to continue sustainably is to bring ourselves into the decision-mamking process by forming a wall-to-wall labor union,” the proposed union said on Instagram.

The organizing effort stands out in a segment of the hospitality industry that has historically resisted unionization, even as broader labor activity has increased across the U.S.

Recent attempts in New York’s cocktail scene have faced challenges. A union drive at Death & Co was unsuccessful in 2024, while Brooklyn bar Achilles’ Heel closed earlier this year after workers unionized, according to Fingers.

In a statement announcing the effort, Attaboy Local 134 said it is seeking changes to management practices, along with improved transparency, benefits and workplace protections.

“What we are asking for is pretty basic,” bartender Chris Hughes said in the union’s release, per Fingers. “We want to have a say in the decisions that affect our working conditions and our livelihoods.”

Attaboy has a second location in Nashville, Tennessee.