Duck & the Peach Workers Fired After Wine Tasting; Union Says Retaliation

Two employees at The Duck & the Peach on Capitol Hill say they were pulled into a manager’s office at the end of a shift and fired after tasting a wine during service, and they assert the terminations were retaliation for union activity at the Eastern Point Collective restaurants. The Duck & the Peach is owned by Eastern Point Collective, which also operates sister spots La Collina and The Wells across from Eastern Market.

Washingtonian reporting names the two terminated staff as Rubino and HC and describes the sequence in which managers told the employees they required permission to sample wine while working. Rubino told the outlet, “I definitely felt targeted.” Both Rubino and HC had participated in pickets and organizing events pushing Eastern Point Collective to agree to a “fair process” for unionization.

Eastern Point Collective’s owner, Hollis Silverman, responded by email and characterized the dismissals as enforcement of a longstanding alcohol rule. Silverman wrote, “The two part-time individuals were terminated for violating the restaurant’s long-held policy against consuming alcohol while working without permission from a manager. Their dismissals were unrelated to the union. We look forward to vigorously defending this matter.” That statement appears in Washingtonian’s coverage of the incident.

The firings come amid a concentrated campaign by Unite Here Local 25 to organize workers at the three Capitol Hill restaurants. Washingtonian noted employees announced their intention to unionize in December. Maryfarran Substack reported that “More than 70% of workers at The Duck & the Peach, La Collina, and The Wells on Capitol Hill informed management earlier this month that they voted for what is known as a ‘fair process’ to unionize, a representative for Unite Here Local 25 told reporters.” Maryfarran also relays that “wait staff and kitchen workers approached the union earlier this year,” quoting Local 25 spokesperson Benjy Cannon.

The Local 25 campaign has produced broader pressure as well. Maryfarran cites an Axios report saying “Seventy Democratic lawmakers and committees have signaled they are prepared to steer fundraising away from The Duck & The Peach and its sister spots unless management agrees to a fair union process.” Maryfarran’s reporting places the Duck & the Peach effort alongside other Local 25 fights at Le Diplomate, Pastis, St. Anselm, Rasika, and Modena, and notes a Local 25 victory at St. Anselm.

Both sides agree on the proximate event, tasting wine during service, but offer sharply different accounts of motive. Available coverage does not include the termination notices, a copy of the written alcohol policy, exact dates of the firings, or any confirmed filing with the National Labor Relations Board specific to the Eastern Point Collective restaurants. Organizers, including Restaurant Workers Rising DC and DC food worker organizers, continue public pressure as the parties dispute whether this enforcement was a routine safety rule or a targeted response to pro-union staff.