Workers from Georgetown neighborhood restaurant Osteria Mozza demonstrated at a March 13 rally to protest alleged union-busting efforts by the restaurant’s owners, STARR Restaurant Group.
The protests are part of a greater unionizing effort across Washington, D.C. restaurants under restaurant groups STARR and Knightsbridge. Workers announced plans to unionize in January to receive better wages, working conditions and hours — if successful, the union would represent around 500 total workers.
Ulises Olea Tapia (SFS ’25), who helps lead the Georgetown Resident Assistant Coalition (GRAC), a student union of resident assistants, said unions usually emerge when workers’ needs are not being met.
“No effort to unionize comes out of thin air,” Olea Tapia told The Hoya. “There must be some situations in these restaurants that has led some employees to see unionizing as the only path forward.”
Noa Pampaloni (CAS ’26), who witnessed the Osteria Mozza protest, said she supports the efforts.
“If people are unhappy with their situation because of unfair treatment, then I think that people have the right to protest it and express their concerns,” Pampaloni told The Hoya.
Olea Tapia said he questions the restaurants being targeted by these protests.
“Personally, as a consumer and someone who loves the D.C. food scene, this certainly makes me question which restaurants I will be supporting with my dollars and which ones I will not be returning to,” Olea Tapia said.
In February, workers at St. Anselm, a restaurant owned by STARR, voted 51-42 in favor of unionizing. STARR refused to recognize the union, condemning Unite Here Local 25, the unionization effort’s representative, saying in a press release that the organization intimidated workers into unionizing.
“We want to be clear that the coercive tactics used by Unite Here Local 25 and its supporters to pressure St. Anselm staff, including waiting outside workers’ homes and cars, bullying, intimidation and promising immigration assistance in exchange for voting yes, unfairly and inappropriately influenced today’s outcome,” a spokesperson for STARR wrote.
Unite Local Here 25 is a D.C. metropolitan region labor union for hotel, restaurant and casino workers, representing over 7,500 employees. The union works to support employees in businesses across the region and to assist in new unionization efforts.
Following the unionization vote at St. Anselm, similar elections at Pastis and Le Diplomate faced interference or cancellation. Unite Here Local 25 said STARR was at fault for any harassment.
“The only one who has violated labor law is STARR — which has bribed, harassed and intimidated workers repeatedly over the last few weeks. A majority of workers have expressed their desire for a union multiple times now at St. Anselm — in January and again at the ballot,” the union group wrote in a press release. “Workers will stay strong through STARR’s attacks and look forward to meeting them at the bargaining table.”
No union votes have been scheduled yet for any Knightsbridge restaurants, where Unite Here Local 25 has filed an unfair labor practice complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board. Knightsbridge has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Olea Tapia said he thinks it is up to each individual to decide whether or not they will patronize the restaurants in question.
“As a consumer, I think that myself, and in this case, every Georgetown student should ask themselves: ‘Do I want to support a place that is not supportive of the workers?’ And I would hope that the answer is generally ‘No, I wouldn’t want to support a place that doesn’t support the workers,’” Olea Tapia said.