After over a year of quiet efforts, Mud Bay is finally approaching their first round of union elections. By September 12th, five Mud Bay stores in the Seattle, WA area will have voted to create a worker union with UFCW 3000.
We, the workers, are voting in a union to address several of Mud Bay’s policies, employee ownership, and poor financial decisions. As a company that claims to be family and employee owned, it’s employees have had less and less of a voice over the years as Mud Bay races toward total independent-pet-store domination. Communication between stores and upper management has weakened; individuality between stores is being wiped away; and “good jobs” don’t seem to be a priority anymore.
We have been working hand-in-hand with UFCW 3000 reps to create a worker union since last year. It hasn’t been an easy journey with quite the bombardment of anti-union propaganda from upper management, but we have persevered by sticking together and showing solidarity through it all. Each store that is voting is practically unanimously in support of forming the union, many workers saying this has been a long time coming:
“I want us to be the company we set out to be. […] I want to build a strong company that we are proud of. I believe it’s time for us to work together as a union, to ensure that we do.” ~ Belltown Worker Testimonial on Reddit
“It’s hard to voice our opinions on our own, especially when it feels like they go nowhere, but as a union we can be heard together.” ~ Greenwood Worker Testimonial on IG
If you know of Mud Bay or even frequent it, we could really use your support. Mud Bay is built on customer relations. It has always been one of our top priorities and the main thing that keeps any business running. With the support of our customers and community, Mud Bay will learn how important it is to us to have a louder voice and return Mud Bay to the welcoming, trustworthy business it was to begin with.
If you want to follow along our journey, check out our posts over on r/mudbaypetstore and mudbayworkers on IG
Stronger as a pack!
Muddies fighting back!
submitted by /u/MudBay_Workers_2026
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