She Wolf Bakery
Wholesale bakery · Brooklyn Navy Yard
141 Flushing Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11205
Highlights
Artisanal bakery: sourdough, miche, baguettes, pastries
Artisanal bakery: sourdough, miche, baguettes, pastries
"She Wolf Bakery is noted as operating mostly at farmers markets rather than a traditional retail storefront." - Melissa McCart
"I followed the tense union drive at She Wolf Bakery, which voted today to be represented by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union after a lead-up that remained in doubt until the vote. In February pro-union workers circulated a zine that depicted owner Andrew Tarlow in an antisemitic caricature; Tarlow publicly condemned the organizers’ tactics, saying he normally wouldn’t discuss workplace issues but felt organizers were "talking out of both sides of their mouths" and accusing them of discriminatory tactics. The workers apologized, saying the image was used thoughtlessly and not out of malice, expressing regret and a desire to continue the unionization process with care and forgiveness. Tarlow later posted (and then deleted) an Instagram caption that drew both praise and criticism, with some alums of Marlow Collective saying the post bordered on union-busting. The union, first announced in January to improve working conditions and pay, won a majority, and Marlow Collective said it respects the employees’ decision and looks forward to negotiating in good faith; the bakery supplies Tarlow’s restaurants like Marlow & Sons and Diner as well as other restaurants across the city and GrowNYC greenmarkets." - Eater Staff
"Days before the union election I learned that pro-union zines left in the bakery break room included English-language pamphlets (not translated for Spanish-speaking workers) about management tactics to dissuade organizing, and that on page six a hook-nosed, top-hat-wearing caricature appeared beside the line “Don’t be manipulated into passivity,” a depiction widely recognized as an antisemitic stereotype. Owner Andrew Tarlow, who is Jewish and oversees the Marlow Collective that includes She Wolf, said he was hurt and called the image a violation of harassment and discrimination policies, writing to staff and the union that he was at a loss and troubled that a push for equity employed such imagery. Two employees later admitted making the zine, apologized saying they had pulled the illustration thoughtlessly from a random book of images, destroyed all copies, and the RWDSU investigated and agreed the image was inappropriate and antisemitic. She Wolf employees had voted by a supermajority on January 18 to file for a union election with the NLRB because they want access to affordable healthcare, higher wages, and better temperature control, and some workers also cited discrimination in a Jacobin article." - Melissa McCart
"A bread bakery selling at GrowNYC greenmarkets and to a handful of top restaurants, She Wolf was started by Brooklyn restaurateur Andrew Tarlow and was born out of the wood-fired oven at Roman’s in 2009. Recently named a James Beard Awards semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery, the bakery operates from a Greenpoint warehouse where a staff of 23 makes mostly naturally fermented breads from a mix of local grains for area greenmarkets, Tarlow’s restaurants, and roughly 20–40 wholesale clients. Workers voted on January 18 by a “supermajority” to file for a union election with the NLRB, seeking safer working conditions — including better temperature control to prevent baking-area spikes above 100 degrees in summer — and access to affordable healthcare, as current wages of about $17 to $26.50 an hour leave some workers unable to afford care. Baker Thomasin Alter, who has worked at She Wolf since 2017, said, “We are voting to unionize because we care about the bakery,” that she enjoys the work and wants to do it long-term, and noted that while management granted her a pay raise after she advocated in November, it “came with all these other responsibilities,” whereas the union would protect “those who don’t.” The union has asked She Wolf to voluntarily recognize the union so negotiations can start; the Marlow Collective said it “recognize[s] and respect[s] our employees’ fundamental right to organize” and anticipates negotiating in good faith if that is the workers’ decision. Bakers, market staff, drivers, and porters would be represented, and while there are no current plans to unionize Tarlow’s other businesses, organizers acknowledged the effort could set a precedent amid a wave of recent restaurant union activity." - Melissa McCart
"A New York City bakery selected as a semifinalist in the inaugural Outstanding Bakery category at the James Beard Awards, recognized for exemplary breads, pastries, or desserts." - ByAlma Avalle
