Employees of Breads Bakery, a popular Jewish bakery chain known for its award-winning babka, announced Jan. 1 that they are forming the Breaking Breads Union, to be represented by United Auto Workers Local 2179.
The effort would create the largest craft bakery union in New York City since Bagel Bakers Local 338, a trade union founded in the early 20th century that fought for the rights of bagel craftsmen until it dissolved in the 1970s. The proposed union represents about 275 workers, including bakers, kitchen staff, cashiers, baristas, porters, caterers and delivery drivers.
The bakery has six Manhattan locations and a kiosk at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
More than 30% of Breads Bakery’s eligible employees across all locations have signed authorization cards in support of the union. Federal law requires at least 30% of workers to sign on to trigger a union election. Workers informed the bakery’s operators, CEO Yonatan Floman and founder Gadi Peleg, of their unionization efforts on Dec. 29, 2025, citing demands for a living wage, safer working conditions and more “respect” from management.
Employees are asking management to voluntarily recognize the union. If the company declines, workers say they will petition the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election for legal recognition.
In a statement, the union cited unsafe working conditions, including improperly installed lockers that it says have caused workplace injuries, and alleged that managers fail to protect employees from harassment. Workers also accused management of racism, including prohibiting Spanish-language music and asking employees to refrain from speaking Arabic on the shop floor.
Hourly wages range from $16.50 — New York City’s minimum wage — to about $20, with no clear system for raises, workers said. Even full-time employees earning top pay make about $20,000 less than the estimated living wage for an adult with one child under New York City cost-of-living standards. Workers also said inconsistent scheduling and unreliable access to full-time hours make it difficult to depend on a steady paycheck.
The union statement described injuries caused by faulty mixers, broken racks and other defective equipment. In 2024, a worker sustained a concussion and was hospitalized after a wall-sized locker tipped over because management allegedly refused to bolt it to the wall. Following the incident, workers said management taped a sign to the locker warning that it was unstable rather than fixing the problem.
In 2025, a customer allegedly threatened to sexually assault a front-of-house worker, quoting President Trump to “grab the worker by the [expletive].” While a co-worker asked the customer to leave, management offered the customer a free cookie, workers said, stating that they “didn’t get involved in politics.”
Corrina Blau, a baker at Breads Bakery, told Brooklyn Paper that since management was informed of the union drive, workers have faced what she described as union-busting tactics, including anti-union meetings and the distribution of misleading information.
“Sometimes the chefs will go up to people and ask them if they signed union cards and encourage them not to, which is a violation of Section seven of the National Labor Relations Act,” Blau said.
Those efforts have not deterred workers, she added.
“We have lots of materials available to educate workers about the benefits of unions. We have little zines in three languages and other handouts as well. We have inoculation materials, so people know the truth before the bosses try to give them a false version,” Blau explained.
Beyond workplace issues, the union is also demanding that the bakery’s Israeli-born owners cut ties with Israel-related initiatives.
After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 Israelis and foreigners were kidnapped, Breads Bakery partnered with baker and influencer Ben Siman-Tov to sell heart-shaped challahs, raising more than $20,000 for Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service. The bakery also participates in the “Great Nosh,” a summer food festival on Governors Island presented by the Jewish Food Society that celebrates Jewish culinary traditions from around the world. The union claims the event is linked to organizations that donate millions of dollars annually to the Israel Defense Forces.
In its statement, the union said it refuses to participate in what it described as “Zionist” projects, including fundraisers that “support the Israeli occupation of Palestine, baking cookies with the ‘Israeli’ flag, and catering events such as the Great Nosh.”
“We see our struggles for fair pay, respect, and safety as connected to struggles against genocide and forces of exploitation around the world,” said Leah A., a former employee who claims she was fired for union organizing.
Meanwhile, some loyal customers are mobilizing in opposition to the union’s demands. Groups such as Jews of New York and Jewish civil rights activist Shai Davidai have called on supporters to patronize Breads Bakery locations, encouraging New Yorkers to spend their Friday lunch breaks there.
“Keep antisemitism out of unionization,” one Instagram post reads.
Breads Bakery did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
