Workers at Bobcat Bonnie’s and Keystone Bar in downtown Ypsilanti have organized a union causing the bar chain to close both locations for the foreseeable future.
Eighteen employees began organizing as Bobcat’s United after facing a number of issues at Bobcat Bonnie’s.
An employee spoke with WEMU on the condition of anonymity for fear of losing future job prospects. The employee says workers have had bounced paychecks, lack of training, and inconsistent scheduling.
The worker says employees want to work with Bobcat Bonnie’s corporate office to resolve these issues, but the owner has taken a different path.
“We would like to be at work. We would like to be earning money and feeding our families. Our doors were closed on us. And we received an announcement Sunday night after our dinner service that we were temporarily closed.”
The owner, Matt Buskard, told MLive he closed Bobcat Bonnie’s and Keystone Bar in Ypsilanti to better focus on their other locations.
Currently, Bobcat’s United has been gaining support from workers of other Bobcat Bonnie locations and are still planning to picket for severance pay at the home office in Ferndale starting on Thursday.
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