Coffee as Currency

This week I tweeted that I’d be heading out to the ElectroMotive line to stand with the workers in their well-publicized dispute with Caterpillar Inc. It wasn’t my first time attending and it won’t be my last. Then something unusual occurred. Adam Green, owner of Red Roaster in London, asked if I would swing by to meet him on my way out. To my delightful surprise he was ready with a huge container of coffee, along with all cream/milk containers required. “Just let them know I am thinking of them during what must be a tough time." He then added, "I'll keep helping." Good guy.When my friend Josh and I arrived at the line a short while later the workers clapped when they saw us carrying the container. We were quick to remind them it had nothing to do with us but was a generous contribution from Adam. For a bunch of workers standing out in the cold for hours on end it was recognized for what it was – an act of encouragement and support.As we watched the chilled ElectroMotive employees line up for their hot drinks, it struck me that coffee had become the new currency. How do average citizens who support the workers who have been so badly maligned by Caterpillar express their sentiments? By far the most common avenue has been the steady line of people dropping off coffee, along with donuts or bagels. In such a setting a cup of coffee transcends its usual role of just being a beverage. It is a gift, a symbol of encouragement and solidarity. Who ever thought that a cup of coffee could take on such an important role? And yet that’s exactly what is transpiring each and every day in east London.Something’s happening in our town – I can feel it. So far, and against all predictions, support hasn’t waned and Londoners are still expressing their concerns for the workers in ways that are meaningful. At the world economic summit in Davos, Switzerland yesterday, news has emerged that even top business leaders are acknowledging things are not peaceful in the employer/employee relationship. One corporate leader even acknowledged that today’s form of capitalism no longer fits the world around it – a significant admission of a reality that Londoners are already feeling.And then suddenly yesterday, a bold move. The city’s three TSC stores announced they were removing all Caterpillar products from their shelves in support of the workers. Instead of losing interest, it now appears that some in the business community are willing to forego certain profits in an effort to rebalance an economic equation that is so clearly hurting average families. That’s turning capitalism on its head - or maybe returning it to its former balance. The elite corporate types, remote and removed from such local developments, might scoff at TSC’s innovative move, but what they are witnessing are smaller firms redefining capitalism in real-time – promoting community partnership as opposed to distant oversight. Here were two businesses – one a coffee franchise, the other an outdoor equipment supplier – taking a hit for people they didn’t even know. That is exactly how an effective community is supposed to work. Hats off to both.Just remember that if you choose to drive by Oxford Street East with some coffee for some obviously struggling workers that there’s a lot more in that cup than just a hot drink. It’s the sign of a citizen awaking to a greater responsibility. For some like Adam or TSC there’s a certain loss in profit that comes with such a gift. In many ways that’s how progressive capitalism used to work – moving the bottom line upwards to spread wealth across a community.To the workers I only ask that you recognize that coffee for what it is – a citizen struggling to know how to assist but responding to an inner sense of urgency to do something. And to all those citizens out there who have such a yearning but have not as yet acted upon it, just remember, sometimes the best kind of compassion can come wrapped in the size of cup.