Utah’s oldest gay bar plans to reopen soon, after recognizing employees’ union

The SunTrapp, Utah’s oldest and longest-running LGBTQ+ bar, is officially unionized, and its owner plans to reopen soon.

Owner Mary Peterson announced in a release Tuesday that she had decided to voluntarily recognize her employees’ union, SunTrapp Workers United (SWU).

Peterson closed The SunTrapp’s doors on Oct. 31. At the time, she said financial strain from picketing and striking workers had grown too heavy, and she could no longer afford to keep the place open.

In her Tuesday announcement, Peterson didn’t give a reopening date. Her attorney, Zachary Wiseman, told The Salt Lake Tribune she is working out the logistics to reopen the bar soon.

The SunTrapp was given a 60-day closure allowance from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services on Nov. 10. If the bar were to stay closed after those 60 days, on Jan. 10, it would either forfeit its liquor license or have to apply to the DABS commission for an extension.

Union’s struggle for recognition

In order for unions to collectively bargain for their members, according to the National Labor Relations Board‘s website, the employer must voluntarily recognize the union, or the union must hold an election that shows the majority of employees support the collective bargaining unit.

In the news release, Peterson said she had hoped employees would hold an election to determine whether or not they would unionize. This, she said, would give every eligible employee a say — “including those who continued working through the strike.”

Peterson decided the voting option would be too expensive, she said in the release, after workers involved in the unionizing effort accused Peterson of unfair labor practices, and disagreed with her on who would be eligible to vote.

“This was not the voluntary path I had hoped for, but it was the only option that protected the possibility of keeping our doors open not just for our staff, but for every person in the LGBTQ+ community who counts on The SunTrapp as a safe and welcoming home,” Peterson said in the release.

Natalie Jankowski, a lead bartender at The SunTrapp and a member of SWU’s organizing committee, said Peterson wanted to include people in the vote who had been hired after pro-union workers started striking, which would “skew” the results.

Wiseman said that Peterson did initially think, incorrectly, that all employees at The SunTrapp could vote. The real disagreement, Wiseman said, was whether people in positions like lead bartenders were supervisors, which would disqualify them from voting in the election.

“It is important to remember that The SunTrapp is now Utah’s first unionized bar, because Mary chose to voluntarily recognize the union,” Wiseman said. “We hope that calmer heads will prevail in the coming weeks.”

Tension led to bar’s Halloween closure

Workers first announced on Sept. 26 that they delivered a letter to Peterson, telling her they planned to unionize. They said pro-union staff members had signed union authorization cards to be represented by Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7765.

Peterson fired them, but quickly rehired them. She said on Oct. 10, in a video posted to The SunTrapp’s Facebook account, that she had been “ignorant” to laws that protect unionizing workers.

Tension grew between Peterson and the bar’s employees. Pro-union staff members went on strike Oct. 3, accusing Peterson of committing unfair labor practices. They started picketing the establishment every Friday and Saturday night in October, until Peterson closed the bar.

At the time, Jankowski told The Tribune the pro-union employees never intended to close the bar, but to preserve it.

With the bar set to soon reopen, workers will negotiate their first contract with Peterson, according to a news release from CWA.

“We thank Mary Peterson for doing the right thing and recognizing our union,” Derek Petersen, an administrative assistant, bartender and organizing worker, said in the release.

The agreement, Derek Petersen said, “opens the door for us to work together to create the fair and safe workplace that this staff and this historic bar deserve. We can now focus on our shared goal: getting the doors open and the lights back on for our community.”